What Happens In Vegas
by Lucinders
Summary: Cristina Yang has a one-night stand with a handsome, blonde man she meets in a nightclub in Vegas. She thinks that will be the end of it, but she is wrong. Very AU.
1. Chapter 1 Cristina's POV

Cristina woke up with a start. She knew she was not in her own hotel room. She looked at the time on the clock on the bedside table. It was 6 a.m. She knew she had to get out of there before the naked blonde guy, next to her, woke up. She looked across at him. He really was a handsome man. This was not something that she normally did. This was probably the first time she had ever slept with a man she had just met.

She carefully got out of the bed and slipped back on her very low cut silver top, her short black mini-skirt and her lace underwear. She picked up her silver stilettos and quietly, opened the door and got out of there, as fast as she could. She took the elevator, headed straight to the lobby and asked the doorman to call a taxi for her to get back to her hotel.

As she arrived back at her hotel, she saw her red-headed friend, Janet, also coming out of a cab, holding her shoes in her hand.

"Hey there, slut," Janet called out to her.

"Hey, whore," Cristina answered. They both burst out laughing as they headed upstairs to their room.

"So tell me, how good was he?" Janet asked.

"He was amazing. Such stamina. Oh my God, Janet, some of the best sex ever," Cristina said. "What about you?"

"His friend, the club owner, was pretty darn good," Janet admitted. "Let's check out of here, go grab some breakfast and catch our plane back to San Francisco."

"Yeah, let's get moving," Cristina said, as they got into their rooms, brushed their teeth, took showers and changed into casual clothes to get to the airport.

As they boarded their plane back to get back to their normal lives, Cristina sunk back into her seat and thought about the previous night's events.

On Friday, during the work day, she and Janet had decided on a whim to go to Vegas for the weekend. They were both stressed out. Cristina was dealing with her ex-boyfriend, continuing to call her, even though they had broken up two months ago. He wanted to get back together but she had found him too clingy. After all, she was only 24 and couldn't have some guy, too dependent on her like that. She was young, single and free. So this is why both she and Janet could just pick up themselves and head to Vegas on Friday night.

Janet had said, "We're going to have a great time in Vegas. We're gonna check out this nightclub, Storm, that they have on the rooftop of this hotel. I have always wanted to go, since I saw it in that reality show."

"Okay," Cristina said. "You choose wherever we go. I will be your wingman or is it wingwoman?"

'We're gonna pick up some good-looking guys and Cristina, no prudish outfits. We're gonna be hot, sexy and so smoking, you're going to see the heat rise from us. We are single and ready to mingle," Janet said. They had spent most of the day on Saturday, shopping at the finer stores in Vegas. In the end, Janet had persuaded Cristina to buy this very low cut silver top and a micro-mini leather skirt. "You are gonna be so hot in that," Janet shrieked. It was not something that Cristina would choose for herself but she allowed herself to be swayed. It was far more revealing than anything she had ever worn.

"What the heck?" she said, as she plunked down her credit card at the cash register. "Nobody knows who I am here."

"That's the spirit," Janet said. Just then, Cristina's phone rang. It was her ex-boyfriend, Dane. She groaned, switched off her phone and remarked, "Not going to worry about you, this weekend." Janet chuckled.

That night, Cristina and Janet found themselves at Storm. Their skimpy attire and fetching appearance were like admission tickets for the doorman. He allowed them to cut to the front and into the nightclub. Janet was so pleased about that. "See, I knew these outfits would work for us."

Cristina felt a little self-conscious as she could see that the men were ogling her and undressing her with their eyes. They found a nice corner table, where they could get a good view of the Vegas lights. They were just admiring the city skyline, when a waitress brought across two cosmopolitans for them.

"I am sorry, we didn't order anything as yet," Cristina said. "That's not ours."

"They are from the two gentlemen across there," the waitress said, gesturing to two men at the bar – one blonde, the other brunette. They were both handsome men. Janet picked up her drink and gestured to the two men. "Listen, girls, please take the drinks," the waitress whispered. "The dark haired one is Louis Reynaud, who is my boss and the owner of the establishment. I think the blonde guy is his friend, who is visiting from out of town." She left the table with a smile.

"Doesn't it mean that by accepting these drinks that we are giving the guys the okay to come over," Cristina said.

"Probably," Janet said. "What are you worried about? They are very good looking and as far as I can tell, they are the finest men in this whole place. Look out, they are coming across here." They both stared intently at their drinks and pretended not to notice the men, making a beeline to their table.

"Hello, ladies," the brunette said. He was tall, tan with very dark eyes and long eyelashes. "My name is Louis Reynaud and I run Storm." His blonde friend was quieter and was a sharp contrast in his looks to his dark-haired pal. He was blonde with the most brilliant pair of blue eyes Cristina had ever seen. She gave him a small smile.

"Hello, gentlemen," Janet said. "Thank you for the drinks."

"Always a pleasure to provide drinks for such lovely ladies," Louis said. "This is my friend, Owen Hunt. He is just visiting from out of town. Are you two from Vegas or visiting, too?"

"Oh, we are visiting," Cristina said. The blonde man smiled back at her. He had a lovely smile, she thought.

"So what are your names?" Louis said. "I can't keep calling you lovely ladies even though both of you are very lovely."

"I am Celine," Janet said. That was the first name that came to her mind because she saw the sign for the Celine Dion show, earlier.

"Uh, Kim," Cristina said, as she saw a poster for Kim Kardashian, staring back at her from behind Louis. Kim was going to host a party at the club the next week.

"Ah, Celine and Kim," Louis said. "Do you mind if we join you?"

"Of course not," Janet said. If the owner of the establishment joined them, that meant free drinks all night. The two men sat down, with the blonde next to Cristina and the brunette next to Janet.

"So where are you girls from?" Owen asked.

"We are from LA," Janet said. There was no need to tell these men that they were from San Francisco.

"Where are you from, Owen?" Cristina asked.

"I am from New York," Owen said. "Just visiting my college buddy, Louis. We went to Princeton, together."

"Ooh, great school," Cristina said. "I went to Cornell." That was true. She did go to school at Cornell. That was probably the first true statement she had said for the night. After a while, she found it so easy to talk to him. He was funny, in addition to being good-looking.

After a few rounds of drinks, the two couples were getting cosier with each other. Or maybe, it was the loud, pounding music that forced them to move very close to the next person to hear what the other had to say. Owen whispered into Cristina's ear. "Do you want to dance?" His lips brushed her ear lobe and she got shivers up her spine. She was starting to get so turned on.

"Yes," she answered. Maybe the alcohol had loosened her inhibitions, as she found herself grinding on Owen on the dance floor. Her hands ran over his back and she could feel how strong and muscled he was. She wondered what he would look like naked. She looked back at Louis and Janet and they were making out with each other at the table. She could feel Owen's ever stiffening length pressing against her. He started nibbling on her ear. Her mouth found his neck, as she gave him a sharp nip.

"Ow," he said, playfully. He looked down at her and their lips found each other's. Was she really doing this? Making out with a guy she had just met , two hours ago, in the middle of the dance floor in a nightclub in Vegas. Her mother would not approve, she knew but she didn't care. She wondered if it was something in the Vegas air that made someone feel so uninhibited and free.

"Let's go to my room," he said, between kisses. Why the hell not, she thought. She gave him a sultry smile, as an answer to his question. They went back to the table to grab her purse. "We're just going to leave you guys," Owen said. His friend nodded, knowingly, while Janet gave her a huge grin. Owen grabbed her hand and they headed to the elevator. As soon as the door closed and he pressed his floor number, she launched herself at him. Their lips hungrily found each other's, as she accepted his probing tongue into her mouth. The door opened and he still had her pinned against the wall, much to the amusement of the older couple, who was entering the elevator.

"Excuse us. Sorry about that," Owen said, a little embarrassed, as they exited the elevator. They made quick time to his room, which was 1815. As he opened the room, she knocked him over and they fell to the floor. He closed the door with his foot, giving it a good shove. They started ripping each other's clothes off, discarding them wherever they fell. He marveled at the flawless smoothness of her body, as he admired how lovely she was. "You are beautiful," he said.

"So are you," she answered, as she left a trail of kisses on his muscled chest. Their mouths gravitated together as they hungrily tasted each other, once again. His fingers found her center, as he plunged in first one, then two, then three fingers. She was wet and willing and waiting for him. Her hand rapidly stroked his member, which hardened even more under her nimble fingers.

"Do you want me?" he asked. "Yes," she said, but good sense still prevailed even though her libido was controlling her. "Do you have a condom?" He was still a stranger, albeit a very hot stranger, and she was about to share this intimate act with him. He dug into the pocket of his discarded jacket and pulled out a couple of condoms.

She giggled. "It's nice to see that you are prepared." He chuckled as he ripped open the condom packet with his teeth and slid the condom on to his cock. He pushed her legs up, as he entered her. The penetration made Cristina gasp with pleasure. It felt so good. She hadn't had sex, since she broke up with Dane and she knew she missed it. As he pounded into her, she held on to his firm buttocks, pushing him to go deeper inside of her. She didn't want it to end but she screamed when she finally came. As her walls tightened around him, he finally released his seed. He rolled off her and pulled off the condom. "That was amazing, Kim," Owen said. For a moment there, Cristina wondered who was this Kim that he was talking about, then she remembered it was her fake name.

"Let's take this to the bed," she said, as she got up from the floor and ran to the bed. She fell back into it, luxuriating in its plush covers. He picked up his remaining condoms and placed them on the bedside table. She gathered that they were going to do this, several more times. She was definitely looking forward to it.

They rested for a while, until Cristina's fingers found her way around his cock and started stroking, again. This time, she didn't just use her fingers, as she found her way down to pop it into her mouth, first just sucking the tip, and then using her tongue to titillate the neck of his cock. She licked the entire length, before taking him into her mouth, once again. She sucked, greedily at it, as if it were a popsicle, taking as much of him as she possibly could. "Oh my God, you are very talented, Kim," he said. He almost threw her off her game when he said that name, again. He pulled her up and kissed her deeply, as he slipped on another condom. He turned her to her side, lifted her leg and entered her from behind, making her gasp with the feel of him, inside of her.

Cristina lost count that night of how many positions they tried or how many condoms they used. They were so spent after all of that love-making that they both fell into a deep sleep, until the next morning, when Cristina made a surreptitious dash out of that room. Thinking about the night made Cristina smile.

The flight attendant interrupted her thoughts as she asked Cristina what she would like to drink. "Just some orange juice," she said. As she sipped on her juice, she still felt bad that she left Owen, that way. He was a sweet guy and if it weren't for the fact that she was just going to be in Vegas for that night, maybe they could have had something. Or was she romanticizing it because she had never done that before. She didn't quite know.

When they got to San Francisco, she and Janet shared a cab to go home. As she took her suitcase out of the trunk and turned to go into her house, Janet shouted from the car, "Hey, Cristina, what happens in Vegas…."

"Stays in Vegas," Cristina shouted back, waving to her friend, as the taxi drove off.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments. I do appreciate and enjoy reading them. Next chapter will be Owen's point of view.**


	2. Chapter 2 Owen's POV

**A/N: This is from Owen's perspective about the encounter. In the last chapter, Cristina had given him the fake name of Kim. He will be referring to her as Kim throughout this chapter.**

* * *

Owen rubbed his eyes. He stretched and stared at the time. It was 8 a.m. The other side of the bed was empty. Where was she?

"Kim," he called out. There was no answer. "Kim, are you in the bathroom?" Still, he heard nothing. Where was she? Did she just leave without even saying goodbye? He was sorely disappointed. He picked up all of the discarded condoms on the floor as he headed to the bathroom. He tossed them in the wastebasket in the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked tired. As he brushed his teeth, he remembered the events of the previous day and night.

He had arrived in Vegas around noon on Saturday. His friend from college, Louis Reynaud, had come to pick him up at the airport. He had not seen him in years but they had kept in touch via email and phone calls. Louis had become the manager and owner of a hot nightclub in Vegas called Storm. It was such a happening place that it was featured in a television reality show. Louis was really proud of that.

Louis dropped him off at his hotel and said he would be back to pick him up around 10 that night to go to the nightclub. Owen reluctantly agreed. He was not the nightclub kind of guy but since that was Louis' life, he very well could not refuse to go.

Owen was only there for one night, as he was actually on his way to San Francisco to take up a six-month assignment at his company's western operations. He was based at the company's head office in New York but he was in a program for managers that was designed for them to experience all of the company's operations. So far, he had done stints in Chicago, Miami, Seattle and Houston. San Francisco was his final assignment before heading back to New York, permanently

Since he was headed out west, he decided to stop in Vegas and pay his old buddy, Louis a visit. Promptly at 10 p.m., Louis showed up at his hotel room.

"Are you ready, Owen?" Louis said.

"Yes, I think so," Owen said. "Am I dressed appropriately? Haven't been to a nightclub in ages."

"Yes, you look fine," Louis said. "You are going to need this." He shoved six condoms in Owen's jacket.

"Why would I need that?" Owen asked. "I am not the casual sex type. I am not going to the club to pick up girls."

"Just take it," Louis said. "You never know if you are going to get lucky, tonight. It is better to be prepared. Wear the glove or no love." Owen shook his head but allowed the condoms to stay in his jacket pocket. When they got up to the rooftop, the music was already pounding and people were already drinking and dancing.

"We're usually open all night until 6 a.m.," Louis said. He brought Owen a scotch. "Still your liquor of choice?" Owen nodded. He took a sip of the scotch. It was smooth and went down really well. For about an hour or so, he just hung out at the bar with Louis. That was when he saw her. He first saw the head of ebony curls, then the petite body in the revealing outfit. His eyes followed her as she and her red-headed friend took a corner table. Louis noted Owen's gaze.

"Ah, you like her. Let me guess. The tiny Asian brunette with all of the curls," Louis said. "You always did like the brunettes."

"She is gorgeous," Owen said. "I think I would like to meet her."

"Well, okay then. Let me help you out. I will have one of the servers carry across some drinks for them," Louis said. He asked the bartender, "Raoul, could you make two cosmopolitans?" After the bartender made the drinks, Louis called over one of the servers. "Monica, can you carry these drinks to those two young ladies at the corner table and be persuasive so that they will accept the drinks?" The girl nodded. She knew what she had to do.

When they saw the girls accepting the drinks, they knew that was their cue to go across to the table. "Hello ladies, my name is Louis Reynaud and I run Storm," Louis said. The redheaded answered, "Hello, gentlemen. Thank you for the drinks." Owen found himself, smiling at the tiny brunette, who smiled back at him. The girls told them their names. The redhead said her name was Celine while the brunette said she was Kim and that they were from LA. He sat next to her and found himself, staring at her delicate features and flawless skin. As the music pounded around them, he found himself getting closer and closer to the young lady to be able to hear what she was saying. He could smell her perfume and the scent was driving him crazy with desire. He finally asked if she would like to dance and she agreed.

When they were out on the floor, he found that the lust was a two-way street since she was grinding, very suggestively, against him. The constant friction of her body against his private parts was getting him completely turned on and he could feel himself stiffening. Surely, she was aware of the effect that she was having on him. He could not stop himself as he found himself, nibbling on her ear. She bit into his neck, which heightened his desire for her even more. Their mouths finally found each other as they kissed with a passion he had never experienced before. He wanted this woman and he wanted her now. He asked if she wanted to go to his room and much to his delight, she agreed.

They bade their goodbyes to Louis and Celine and they headed to his room. They could not keep their hands off each other, as they made out in the elevator, heading down to his room. When they finally made it to his room, she attacked him and they had sex on the floor. He was now grateful for the condoms that Louis had given him. Then, they had sex on the bed and against the wall and in the bathroom.

The bathroom was their last sexual encounter. They were taking a shower, and he was feasting on her. "I want you, again," she ordered him, as she held his head against her. He reminded her that he didn't have any more condoms. In that instant, she said, "It's okay. Fuck me now." He pushed her against the cool tiles of the shower wall and pulled her legs up, as she wrapped them around her. He plunged himself into her, over and over again. Then, they came together.

The sex had been so intense that he had scratches on his back and love bites on his chest. He was pretty sure that her body was just as marked as his was. After such a night, he was terribly disappointed that she had disappeared without even saying goodbye.

He heard his phone ringing. It was Louis. "Hey, Louis," he answered. "By any chance, is Celine still with you?"

Louis replied, "That's a negative, Owen. She got out of here like a bat out of hell, early this morning, even before I woke up. What about Kim?"

"Same thing," Owen said. "Not even a goodbye."

"We've been used, Owen," Louis chuckled. "But we have been used in a very good way."

"You may be used to this kind of lifestyle, Louis, but I am not," Owen said. "I thought that there was a spark between the two of us."

"Ah, Owen, you are such a romantic," Louis said. "Just take it for what it is. A one night stand."

"I don't do one night stands," Owen said. "That's just not me."

"How many girlfriends have you had since we left college?" Louis asked. He always knew that Owen was into long-term relationships.

"Well, it has been eight years since we left college. Maybe about four," Owen admitted.

"So you're still looking for that special one," Louis said.

"Always," Owen said. "As you said, I am the eternal romantic." Louis laughed on the other end.

"So, why don't you check out of your hotel and we will grab some breakfast and I will drop you off at the airport," Louis said.

"Okay, I will see you in a bit," Owen said.

* * *

At breakfast, he was still pondering about Kim. He had felt magic with her. It was hard to explain to someone like Louis, who had many sexual encounters with women he would never see again. Owen wanted to see Kim again.

"Forget about her," Louis said. "She's gone. She and Celine are probably back in LA, already. I know you're going to California but she is in a different city. You are going to San Francisco. You don't even know her last name. By the way, do you even know where you are going to live?"

"Yes, the company has set me up in this apartment," Owen said. He looked at his watch. "Think you better drop me off. I have to be boarding that flight in a bit."

"Okay, buddy," Louis said, dropping off some cash to pay their breakfast bill.

As they said their goodbyes at the airport, the two friends hugged. "Since you're right there, I expect you to come and visit me, a little more often," Louis said.

"Okay but no more one night stands for me," Owen said. "It makes me feel kind of empty."

"Okay," Louis said. "No more one night stands. See ya, buddy."

* * *

Owen boarded the plane and headed to San Francisco. He paid the taxi and headed to his new apartment. The manager was waiting for him to hand over his keys for his apartment and the company car. It was on the 6th floor. It was a very nice apartment and was owned by the company for visiting executives. He wasn't an executive but he was getting the perks of one.

He fell on to the bed and took a nap. All he could dream about was making love to a woman with raven curls. He woke up and wondered about Kim. He wished he could see her again. He wondered if there was even the remotest possibility that he would see her again. Maybe Louis was right and he should forget about her.

The next day, he found himself at the San Francisco offices of Woolmers Ltd. He was looking forward to working there and discovering the city. San Francisco was without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of the United States.

He was greeted by the operations manager of the San Francisco office in the lobby of the building. "Ah, Mr. Hunt, so good to meet you. I am Mr. Thomas Morrison, Operations Manager here at the San Francisco office. I will show you to your office. We have assigned a junior manager to assist you while you are here. She will work with you for the entire six months. Her name is Janet Tennyson. I will introduce you a little later."

"Thank you, Mr. Morrison," Owen said, as he followed the man into the elevator and up to his office on the 7th floor.

"I trust you found your living accommodations acceptable," Mr. Morrison asked. "And the company car?"

"Yes, the apartment was excellent," Owen said. "Very luxurious. The car was more than I expected, too."

"Good," Mr. Morrison said, stepping off the elevator and showing him an extremely plush office. "Do you like this?"

"Yes, sir, thank you very much," Owen said. From his window, he had a wonderful view of the city. He was going to have a fun time here, he thought.

"Let me show you around the floor, " Mr. Morrison said. They walked around the offices. "Here is the kitchen, where you can have your coffee. Lots of the junior managers and staff frequent it in here, so you may choose to either eat in your office or join other senior managers in their dining area."

"This is fine," Owen said. "I am not fussy."

"Here is the copy room. Your administrative assistant, Denise, will handle all of that. Ah, here she is in the copy room," Mr. Morrison. "I was wondering why she wasn't at her desk."

"Denise," Morrison called out to the brunette woman at the copy machine. "This is your new boss for the next six months, Mr. Owen Hunt from the New York office."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Denise said, offering her hand.

Owen warmly shook the woman's hand. "Likewise. I am sure we are going to have a wonderful, professional relationship." The woman smiled at the handsome man. What a looker, she thought. The girls in the office were going to have a field day with this one.

"Let's move on, Mr. Hunt," Morrison said. "Ah, I spot the junior manager who is going to assist you. There she is." Morrison pointed out a very familiar looking redhead. "That is Ms. Janet Tennyson." Ms. Tennyson, as it turned out, was Celine, who was Louis' bed partner on Saturday night. Owen shook his head. Then, he took a closer look at the woman that Ms. Tennyson was speaking to. She had her face turned away from him but he was pretty sure he knew who it was. Her head of ebony curls was up in a bun but he knew the curve of that neck. It was a neck he had kissed, intimately. He was certain that she was sporting the remnants of a love bite on her neck.

"The young woman that Ms. Tennyson is speaking to – is her name Kim?" Owen asked. "She looks vaguely familiar." He knew that if Celine was a fake name, then in all likelihood Kim was also fake.

"Um, no," Mr. Morrison said. "That is Yang – Cristina Yang. One of our junior managers. She works with Ms. Tennyson." Owen was not surprised when told of the young woman's real name.

"Oh," Owen thought. "I was wondering if it was possible that she could be my assistant, instead. No offense to Ms. Tennyson, of course."

"Well, she is quite competent but rather young and not as experienced as Ms. Tennyson. She has only been two years with the company, while Ms. Tennyson has been with us, six years," Morrison said, surprised.

"That's okay. I think I would like to deal with Ms. Yang, if that is acceptable," Owen said.

"Alright, that is fine. I will just have to inform Ms. Tennyson and Ms. Yang of the changes," he said.

"Yes, please do that. I am looking forward to meeting Ms. Yang," Owen told Morrison, with a smile.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments and reviews. I do appreciate reading them. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3 We meet once again

"Ugh," Cristina said, as she hung up the phone, slamming the receiver down hard.

"What are you so disgusted about?" Janet asked, as she came into Cristina's small office and sat down.

"Ugh. Dane. He keeps calling me," Cristina said. "He is so peeved that I went to Vegas on the weekend and didn't tell him. He's not my boyfriend, anymore. Why should I have to tell him anything?"

"Why don't you stop taking his calls?" Janet said. "He is becoming a nuisance."

"No, then he will keep calling. Serves me right for dating a younger man," Cristina said, groaning.

"What are you talking about? Dane is hardly younger. He is 23. You're 24. One year is nothing," Janet replied. "If you had been dating an 18-year-old, then that would have been a younger guy."

"So what are you up to, today?" Cristina asked, eyeing Janet's folder.

"Oh, my big empty folder. I am going to meet with the new guy from the New York office. You know, he is in that managers' program, where they send them for stints in all of the offices of the company," Janet said. "All I know about him is that his last name is Hunt. Hey, wait a minute, isn't that the last name of the guy you slept with in Vegas?"

"Yes, but that was probably a fake name he gave us. Remember we gave fake names, Celine. I am certain that was a fake name," Cristina said. "The chances of it being the same guy are slim to none."

"Ah, that was a good night, Kim," Janet said, reminiscing on her night with Louis. She thought she wouldn't mind seeing Louis again. At least, she knew where she could find him at the Storm nightclub.

There was a knock on the door. The two young women automatically straightened up because it was Mr. Morrison, the Operations Manager.

"Ah, it is good that the two of you are here. There has been a change. Cristina, you will be working with the guy from New York. Janet, I have another assignment for you," Mr. Morrison said. He didn't want to go into the details that Mr. Hunt from New York had specifically asked for Cristina. He did not want Janet to feel bad that Mr. Hunt had not chosen her.

"Me?" Cristina questioned. "Janet has more experience than me. She usually works with the managers from that program."

"Well, we just thought that it was time for you to start taking some more responsibility, to learn new things," Morrison said. "You should look upon this an opportunity. Janet has worked with several of these managers, already." Janet looked at Cristina, encouragingly. She wanted her younger friend to succeed.

"Go for it, Cristina," Janet said. "You can learn a lot from them."

"Okay, sir," Cristina agreed. Janet handed her the folder and gave her a smile.

"Well, get yourself ready. You will meet him in half an hour. He is just settling down into his office. I will come to get you and introduce you," Morrison said.

"Thank you, sir for this opportunity," Cristina said. As Morrison left, Janet grinned at her. "Good luck, baby girl. Little Cristina is growing up."

"Oh, shut up, Janet," Cristina said but she was rather pleased to get this opportunity.

In exactly 30 minutes, Morrison returned. "Follow me, Yang." She picked up her folder and followed Morrison to the plush corner office.

The new manager's chair was turned away from the door. It seemed like he was enjoying the view outside of his window.

"Mr. Hunt?" Morrison said. Owen turned around and eyed the two people in the room. The young woman turned pale, when she saw him. Cristina had immediately recognized him and wished the floor would just open up and swallow her.

"Yes, Mr. Morrison," Owen said.

"I have brought Ms. Yang to meet you," Morrison said. "Cristina Yang, I would like you to meet Owen Hunt." Cristina reluctantly came forward and shook Owen's hand. He smiled at her with a twinkle in his eye.

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Yang," Owen said.

"Likewise, sir," she answered. She felt that she was holding it together, well. Maybe he wouldn't recognize her, she thought. After all, her hair was up in a bun and she was wearing her glasses and she was fully dressed in a suit that covered everything.

"Ms. Yang is one of our brightest young managers. She is only 24 but a quick learner and a hard worker," Morrison said. "I am sure the two of you will get along well. I will see you later, Mr. Hunt."

Owen waited until Mr. Morrison had left and was out of earshot. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Owen said. "Cristina Yang is your name. Or is it Kim?"

"I am sorry, sir, I don't know what you're talking about," she said. Her first reaction was to deny that she was Kim. She could not believe the mess that she was in. She had to work with this man for six months and she had a one-night stand with him. She pushed up her glasses, hoping it would block some of her face.

"You don't know what I am talking about?" Owen scoffed. "You mean when you met me in Vegas, two days ago, told me your name was Kim, spent the night making love to me and then disappeared in the morning, like nothing happened between the two of us."

"You know a lot of Asian girls look alike," Cristina said, offering a lame excuse. He scoffed, again.

"Stop trying to deny it, Cristina. Okay, let's pretend it wasn't you but you sure look like a girl named Kim, who fucked my brains out and left without even saying goodbye. And look there, you're trying to cover up a hickey on your neck with make-up. That is a love bite, courtesy of me," he said. She self-consciously touched the hickey on her neck, wondering if the make-up had worn off.

"Would you please keep your voice down?" she said. "Okay, it's me. I am Kim but I am not. I am Cristina and Kim was not really me."

"What do you mean?" he said. "You gave me a fake name but you're still you."

"No, Kim is not me. That's not who I am. I was in Vegas, I wanted to do something wild and crazy and totally different from who I am," Cristina said, the words spilling out in a rush.

"Okay, maybe Kim was not you. But it was really me in Vegas. I was Owen and I am still Owen. I have feelings. Even if we weren't going to see each other again, you didn't have to escape out of there like a thief in the night. At least you could have said goodbye," he said.

She sighed. "Maybe this is not going to work out, sir. I think that I will ask Mr. Morrison to remove me from this assignment. You will probably be uncomfortable working with me, sir," she said. She got out of there as fast as she could and headed straight to Mr. Morrison's office. She was gone so fast that she did not hear him say, "Cristina, wait…"

Her face was hot and she was flushed with embarrassment. She could not believe that this was happening to her. Her one-night stand had come back to haunt her. She timidly knocked on Mr. Morrison's door. "Come in," she heard him say.

She opened the door, "Sir, I was thinking that it might not be a good idea for me to work with Mr. Hunt."

Mr. Morrison looked incredulous. Here he was, offering the young woman a great learning opportunity and she was turning it down. "What do you mean, Yang?"

"I think maybe I would be out of my depth, there," Cristina said.

"Of course not, Cristina. You are a very bright girl. You will do fine," Morrison said, encouragingly.

"Well, Janet has lots more experience, dealing with this," Cristina said. "Maybe you can put her back in."

"Yes, I know that but the only way you can learn is if you grab this opportunity with both hands and learn as much as you possibly can," Morrison said.

"I know, sir," Cristina said. "But…"

"There are no buts, Cristina. Janet had already been re-assigned and I am not going to re-assign her for a second time. Besides, Mr. Hunt specifically asked for you," Morrison said.

"He did? He asked for me?" she said. How did he know to ask for her?

"Yes, he saw you earlier and said that he would like to work with you, Cristina," Morrison said. "Now be a big girl about it and do your job. I expect to hear great things from Mr. Hunt about you. I think you might be a good candidate for that managers' program when you have some more experience and the only way you can get that, is by doing the job. Okay, so no more nonsense about you being out of your depth."

"Yes, sir," Cristina said. She had no choice but to accept her fate. She sheepishly went back to Owen's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Owen said. She opened the door to see him working on his computer. "So you are back."

"Yes, Mr Morrison refused to re-assign me," she said. Owen grinned at her misfortune.

"Well, okay, then," he said. "So we are going to be working together for the next six months, so let us make the most out of it."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," she said, sitting down and opening her folder. "Where shall we start?"

"So we're going to pretend that we don't have a history?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, I think that is best. We can remain professional about it," she said.

"Okay," he said. "I have a list of the things I would like to accomplish while I am here."

* * *

Later, Janet found her back in her office. "Hey, Cristina, why so glum?"

"You would never believe what just happened to me. You were right about him," Cristina said, in a melancholic voice.

"Who him?" Janet asked, puzzled.

"Remember when we were talking about Hunt, this morning and whether he could be the same guy as my one night stand. Yeah, well, it is. He didn't lie about his name," Cristina said. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

"Oh, holy hell," Janet shrieked. "How awkward! How embarrassing! How amazingly coincidental!"

"Yes, Janet, all of those things," Cristina replied. "I tried to get out of it with Mr. Morrison, claiming that I was out of my depth. He was very unsympathetic to say the least. He refused, saying that it was a learning opportunity for me and I had to be a big girl about it and do my job. Besides, he said that Mr. Hunt had asked for me."

Janet burst out laughing, holding her stomach, as she laughed. Cristina glared at her friend.

"You shouldn't be laughing at me, Janet. It's your fault that I am in this mess," Cristina said. "If you hadn't persuaded me to go to Vegas, this weekend and wear those trashy clothes, I would not be in this situation."

"Hey, hey, I am not the one who told you to go sleep with the guy. You did that on your own volition. Not that I blame you. The man is a hottie," Janet said, still unable to stop laughing. "So what are you going to do?"

"I am going to make the best of it," Cristina said. "We are going to pretend that it never happened and we are going to be professional about it."

"Well, okay then. I guess I should start taking bets on how long that is going to last," Janet said.

"You are not going to take bets on this because you are going to tell no one about this," Cristina said. "I am warning you, Janet. I know a lot of your secrets and you wouldn't like to have them aired around this office."

"Okay, okay," Janet said. "Not even Susie?" Susie was a mutual friend, who was an administrative assistant to one of the senior managers.

"Especially not Susie. She will tell all of the other admin assistants and then, it will be all over the office," Cristina said. She wrung her hands at the thought of that.

Janet smiled. At least she knew that her one-night stand was safely in Vegas and would not be intruding on her life, anytime soon.

* * *

Owen was in his office, calling Louis. "Hey buddy," Louis said. "How is San Francisco treating you?"

"Great. Beautiful city. Well-appointed apartment. Luxurious car. Awesome office," Owen said. "However, all those things don't measure up to the one thing that is the best about this place."

"What? You met a girl, who has stolen your heart, already," Louis said in disbelief.

"Not just any girl. I met Kim from LA, who really isn't Kim from LA. Her name is Cristina Yang and she works for this company and is currently working with me," Owen said.

"Talk about coincidences. So I guess this means that my one-night stand is also there," Louis asked.

"Yup, she is. They are both junior managers at Woolmers. By the way, your one-nighter's name is actually Janet Tennyson," Owen said.

"Wow, this is really a small world," Louis said. "So how are you guys going to handle this?"

"Well, she said she wants us to be professional about it," Owen said.

"Ha," Louis said. "Let's see how long that is going to last."

Owen laughed. "Gotta go, Louis. I am going to get myself some coffee." He hung up the phone.

He went out of his office. "Denise, I am going to get some coffee in the kitchen," he told his administrative assistant.

"I can do that for you, sir," she said.

"No, no, it's okay, I just want to find my way around here," Owen said, as he headed straight to the kitchen. Denise found that refreshing. Sometimes, these managers would not even dare to go to the kitchen to deal with the staff.

As he entered the kitchen, the chatter of the women in there, suddenly diminished. "Good day, ladies," he said. It was very quiet as he made his coffee. He spied Cristina in the corner, having a cup of tea and pineapple upside down cake. She did not look up, at all, unlike the other women, who stared at his every move. He noted that she had a sweet tooth.

As he left, the chatter rose again. "What a hottie," one woman said. "I wonder if he is a player," another said. "I wouldn't mind giving him a test run around the track," said a third. They all giggled, while Cristina said nothing. She finished up her cake and her tea and quietly left.

She walked back to her office, her shoulders slumped. This was not going to be an easy six months.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comment and reviews. I do appreciate reading your thoughts.**


	4. Chapter 4 House Warming

A month had passed since Cristina and Owen started working together. They were a good team and he was very pleased with her work. She found him to be a great teacher, willing to share his knowledge. They got along really well when they worked together. She really liked working with him. But that was as far as it went. She never interacted with him, outside of the time that they worked together. He found that a bit disappointing, since he knew that she was making the effort to keep her distance.

He noticed that she hardly ever went to the kitchen, again. He knew that was her way of avoiding him, on the slight chance that they were in the kitchen, together. She wanted to avoid any social conversation. She ate her lunch in her office but every Friday, she and Janet usually went out for lunch. He used this opportunity to his advantage.

He had noted her sweet tooth, so every Friday, he usually had a treat delivered to her office. The first week, he left a coconut cupcake on her desk.

When she first got the coconut cupcake, she wondered who had put it on her desk. She got up, opened her door and looked around to see if anyone else was eating cupcakes. No one else had one. She wondered it if it was Dane, who was leaving it for her. But then, it couldn't be Dane because he would have made sure that she knew it was him.

She stared at the cupcake for three minutes, wondering whether she should eat it. Owen had come by to drop off a folder and noticed that the cupcake was uneaten.

"Aren't you going to eat your cupcake?" he asked.

"I don't know if I should," she said. "I am not sure who put it there. Suppose it is poisoned." He was alarmed that her mind went there.

"I am sure the person, who put it there, probably had good intentions," he said. Since he knew he was the person who put it there, that was certainly true.

"I guess," she said. "And I really do like cupcakes from this particular bakery." She picked it up and bit into it, much to his delight. "Hmmmm. It does taste scrumptious."

"Anyway, enjoy your cupcake. I will see you in a bit," he said. He walked out of there with a smile on his face. The following weeks, she devoured the treats without even thinking about it. On the second week, he left a slice of raspberry cheesecake, the third week, two chocolate truffles and on the fourth week, a slice of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

On the Friday that he had left the red velvet cake, he went to the kitchen and was surprised to hear about a house-warming party that she was hosting. Some of the other staff members were discussing what they were going to buy for presents for the party, that Saturday night. That was the first he had heard of it. They worked with each other every day for the entire week and not once, had she mentioned it to him. It seemed to him that he was not going to be invited. He was a little sad about that. He wondered if he was the only one, not invited. He didn't think that she would treat him like that. Anyway, it was her party and she could invite anyone that she wanted, he thought.

He popped into her office to see her eating the red velvet cake that he had left. "Cristina," he said. He startled her and she got cream cheese frosting on her cheek. He thought she looked so endearing with it.

"Mr. Hunt, can I help you?" she said, not realizing that there was frosting on her cheek. He said, "You've got a little bit of frosting on your cheek." That's not what he really wanted to say. He really wanted to ask if he could have licked off the frosting. She took up a napkin and cleaned the wrong side of her face.

"No, no," he said, picking up another napkin and wiping the frosting off her face. "Thank you," Cristina said, a little bit embarrassed by this.

"It's okay. I just came by to let you know that the numbers from Marketing came in," he said.

"Oh, good," she said. "I can work on that, right away." He turned to leave the office.

"Um, Mr. Hunt, are you free, tomorrow night?" she asked. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her.

"Yes, I am," he said. Was she going to invite him to her party? He could only hope.

"I am having a house-warming party at my house, tomorrow night. It is just some friends and we're going to share some food and drink at my place," she said. "I was wondering if you would like to come. Of course, you don't have to, if you want to do something else."

"Your house? House-warming party. I would love to come," he said, with a huge smile.

"Oh, great," she said. "Let me write down my address. I live in Pacific Heights." He watched as she wrote down her address and her home phone number. "Dress is casual."

"Pacific Heights. That is a great area," he said. "Very walkable to all the shops and restaurants."

"Yup, I love it there. My grandpa left me the house, when he moved to Florida. I have been living there for about three months. I finally got it the way that I wanted," she said. "So that's why I am having the party."

"What time should I get there?" he asked. He wondered if he sounded too eager. He was excited because it was the first time she had shown any signs of interacting with him on a social basis.

"Come any time after 8 p.m. I am only planning to go on, until midnight," she said. "I am an old person, I need my sleep." She laughed.

"If you're old, I must be positively ancient," he said, joining in the laughter. He liked this – they were conversing and for once, it wasn't about work.

"Well, okay, I better get back on those numbers," she said. "As soon as I am done, I will come by your office."

"Okay," he said. He left the office, with a song in his heart.

* * *

The next day, he found himself, scouring the shops of San Francisco for a house-warming present. In the end, he bought Japanese wind chimes for the garden. He truly hoped that she had a garden behind her house. He didn't want to buy anything too expensive. It was too early in their relationship to do that. He laughed at himself. "Our relationship," he said, shaking his head because he knew, at this point in time, the only relationship they had was a working, professional one.

"Excuse me, sir?" the cashier asked, wondering what he was talking about. Owen muttered, "Nothing." The cashier observed him with a quizzical look, "That would be $75.25, sir." Owen handed over his credit card.

That evening, he changed his clothes three times. His first outfit, he thought he looked overdressed. His second outfit, he looked a little too underdressed. In the end, he decided on a classic look – white, linen shirt with jeans. He couldn't go wrong there, he thought, as he picked up his present and headed to her house.

When he pulled up in front of her house, he was amazed by it. It was a beautiful Victorian house with an extraordinary and intricately embellished façade. It was clear that great care and love had been given to preserve the house. He rang the doorbell and was delighted to see Cristina with her hair down, when she opened the door. She looked beautiful. He had not seen her, since that night in Vegas, with her curls cascading down to her shoulders. Usually, she wore her hair in a severe bun at work. He remembered how many times he had run his fingers through her hair, that night, marveling at its lush softness.

"Hello," she said. "Glad you could make it." She was wearing a soft blue eyelet dress. It was very feminine, a far cry from her usual work attire. He wished he could see her more in this state.

"Hey, Cristina, beautiful house you have here," he said. He admired the tall ceilings, the hardwood floors and the exquisite architectural details.

"Thank you, my grandpa loved this house," she said. "Do you want to take a tour?"

"Yes, please," he said. "I love architecture and to see a Victorian house this well preserved, it would be an absolute pleasure."

"Okay," she said. "Off the foyer, we have a triple parlor, which has been made into a living room, dining room and family room area." Owen nodded to the people he recognized. Many of them were from the workplace. Some of the woman murmured under their breaths, when they saw him. The triple parlor was tastefully decorated in shades of peach, white, blue and grey. Then, they went to the large kitchen, with its white cupboards and blue accents. On one end of the kitchen was a window seat, which was combined with a table and two chairs to form a charming, eat-in area.

"I like to sit in the window seat and watch out at the garden in the mornings, while I have my tea," she said.

"Oh, that reminds me," he said, handing over the gift bag. "I forgot to give you this." He handed over the gift bag.

"Japanese wind chimes for the garden. I love them," she said. She looked at him with bright, shining eyes. "Let's put them up, now. I want to hear them in the wind." She looked like an eager child, when she said it.

"Okay," he said, feeling he couldn't deny her the pleasure of putting up the chimes right away. She ran out into the backyard and tried to pick up a ladder that was at the back of the house.

"Leave that, Cristina," he said. He took the ladder from her and placed it under the branch of a tall tree. He looked around at the garden. It was very green with flowers, lining the garden walkway. He tied the chimes to the tree and as if on cue, a gentle breeze blew and the pipes on the chimes let out a soothing sound.

"Ohhhh, that sounds lovely," she said. "So peaceful. Thank you so much, Mr. Hunt." Owen climbed down from the ladder. "Don't you think you can stop calling me Mr. Hunt?" he asked. "We are not at work, right now. Call me Owen."

"Okay, Owen," she said, still pleased at the sound of the chimes. He loved the sound of his name on her lips.

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" she asked. He nodded.

On the second floor, there were four bedrooms, one of which she was using as an office/tv room. For one small woman, he thought that was a lot of bedrooms. On the top floor was a luxurious master suite, which had a view deck, which looked out on to the city. They stood out on the deck, admiring the city lights. "Well, that is about it," she said. "The basement level is just a wine cellar, storage room and the two-car garage. Tandem parking, of course."

"This house is so magnificent, Cristina," he said. "It is one of the most beautiful houses I have ever seen."

"Thank you," she said. "I love it here. When my grandpa said he was leaving me the house, I could have just flipped."

"You do know it is worth a lot of money," he said. "Given the location, the historical value and the architecture, it must be a multi-million dollar property."

She nodded. "Yes, it is true. A realtor came in and appraised it. It is worth $3.6 million. Imagine me with a multi-million dollar property."

"You do have a lot of bedrooms in this house," he said.

"Well, I figure those are reserved for my children," she said. He loved that she was talking about her future and the possibility of children. He often thought about his future and family and settling down. Then she laughed, "But I have to find my husband, first, of course." He looked at her, longingly, when she said it. Since that night in Vegas, he had not touched her and his hands ached to feel her soft skin underneath them.

As they stood there, watching the city lights off her deck, it seemed like it was just the two of them in the world. They could have stood there for a long time, were it not for the urgent knocking on her bedroom door. Cristina rushed to open the door. It was Janet.

"Cristina, you've got to come downstairs, now. Dane is here. I think he is drunk and he is calling your name," Janet said. Despite the news she was delivering, Janet was still quick to notice that Owen was behind Cristina in the bedroom. She made a mental note to ask her friend about this but handling Dane was a more pressing situation.

Cristina rushed downstairs with Janet and Owen, following her. He wondered who the heck was Dane. When they got to the ground floor, Dane was at the bottom of the steps, waiting for her.

"Cristina," he shouted. "How could you throw a party without inviting your boyfriend?"

Owen could not believe what he was hearing. She had a boyfriend! This was not something he wanted to hear.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments and reviews. I do appreciate when you take the time to leave your thoughts.**


	5. Chapter 5 Dane

"Dane, stop shouting!" Cristina exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" She folded her arms and her lips formed a thin line. She was not happy at all. She gave him a disapproving look. Owen gave Dane the onceover – he looked rather young, like if he just graduated from college. His brown hair flopped over his green eyes and Owen thought that he needed a haircut. He had to admit, though, that Dane was an attractive young man.

"I was at the bar and one of our mutual friends told me that he was coming across here for a party. I didn't know anything about a party," Dane said. "You didn't tell your boyfriend anything about it."

"You are not my boyfriend," Cristina said. "When are you going to get that through your head, Dane? We are over. We've been over for three months, now." Owen was so relieved when he heard this. He hadn't been too happy to hear that she had a boyfriend. He also had wondered if she had cheated on her boyfriend when she slept with him in Vegas. But now he knew that was certainly not the case.

"But you talk to me, when I call you," Dane said, slurring a bit.

"I talk to you because you keep calling me," Cristina responded. "If I don't talk to you, you will continue to call me until I do, Dane."

Dane slumped to the ground. "Why don't you want to come back to me, Cristina? I miss you so much," he said. Owen suddenly felt sorry for him. He was just a young man who wanted to get back with his former girlfriend.

Cristina sat down next to him. "Because we don't work, Dane. I am not the right girl for you," she said. She put her hand on his back. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was how emotional he was feeling but Dane started to cry.

"I am sorry, Dane," Cristina said. "I never wanted to hurt you. But you and I are just not right for each other." Dane put his head on Cristina's shoulder. She allowed him to leave it there, until he stopped crying.

"I think you need to clean yourself up," she said. "We need to get you sober, so I am taking you to the bathroom, where you can get a shower. We'll come back down and I will make you some coffee." She got up and led Dane up the stairs to take a shower.

Owen was beyond surprised by what he had just witnessed. She had completely defused a situation that could have gone awry. He rejoined the party and got himself a drink. He waited for her and Dane to come back down the stairs. When they did, Dane's hair was still damp and he was wearing a clean t-shirt with a Grateful Dead logo on it. Seeing him in a clean t-shirt bothered Owen. Did that mean that Dane still had clothes at her place? He knew that bothered him more than it should. After all, Dane had been her boyfriend and it was probably natural that he had clothes there.

She guided Dane to the kitchen and sat him down in her eat-in area. He sat on the window bench and stared out at the garden. She made him a cup of hot coffee. He sipped at it, as he watched the chimes in the garden.

"You put up chimes," he said. "They sound lovely."

"Yes, I just put them up. It was a house-warming present," she said, remembering she had left Owen at the party.

Dane looked at her, "So there is no hope for us?" he asked, softly. "I love you, Cristina."

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so because we had a lot of problems, Dane. And I just didn't have the energy to deal with them, anymore. I guess I didn't feel enough for you to work on them. You deserve better than that. You deserve somebody who loves you and I am not that person."

Dane sighed. "Do you think we can be friends?" he said.

"Maybe," she said. "When you stop thinking of me in that way. Then, it would be easier to be friends. Right now, you think you love me and being around me is only going to hurt you. And I don't want to hurt you." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. They talked again for an hour, until Dane was ready to leave. She called him a cab and as he left, she kissed him on his cheek. "Be good to yourself, Dane," she said. He nodded and left.

Owen watched the scene and he found himself, with increased respect for the young woman. A lot of people would not have been able to handle a drunken ex-boyfriend, who was embarrassing them at a party. She had been brilliant in handling Dane. Owen smiled at her, as she turned to mingle with her guests. She caught his smile and returned it.

"I am sorry about that, Mr. Hunt," she said, coming up to him. "I was showing you the house and then all of that happened."

"You don't have anything to apologize about. It wasn't your fault and I must say you were pretty amazing in how you defused the situation," he said. "That is a great skill for a manager."

"Thanks, Mr. Hunt," she said. "Would you like another drink?"

"No, I am fine and I can make my own drinks. And please, stop calling me Mr. Hunt," he said. "I am Owen."

"Oh, yes, you said that earlier. Just force of habit. What about at work? Do I call you Owen there, too or should I just revert to Mr. Hunt there?" she said.

"No, it's just going to be Owen from now on," he said. "Please, I don't want these formalities between us."

"Okay, I am going to check on my other guests," she said.

"Alright," he said. He watched as she expertly moved around the party, chatting here and there, refreshing drinks and offering hors d'oeuvres. Later, as the party wound down and people left, Owen found himself lingering. He just wanted to stay in this exquisite Victorian house with this beautiful, dark-haired woman, whose lips he wanted to kiss, so badly.

"Do you need help in cleaning up?" he asked. She looked around. There were glasses and plates everywhere plus all of the dishes which had contained food. She did need help but she was having doubts about whether she should accept his help. After all, she was his assistant.

"Um…you don't have to," she said. "I will persuade Janet to help."

"But I want to help you," he said. "It is a lot of work for the two of you to clean up."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Yes," he said. "I will start bringing the cups and plates into the kitchen. You and I can wash up and Janet can wipe down the room."

"Okay, that sounds like a great idea. Janet, could you wipe down the surfaces and sweep up?" she asked her friend. Janet groaned but she found herself a rag and the broom and dustpan and went to work in cleaning up the triple parlor area.

Owen washed the dishes while Cristina wiped them and put them away. "This is a lot of dishes," Owen said.

"Yeah, my grandpa used to be a caterer and he had lots of cutlery and crockery," Cristina said. "Saved me a lot of money from having to rent them but still, a real pain to wash them."

They worked well as a team, washing dishes, as they did at work. Soon enough, it was all done. Owen knew it was time to go home. As he dried his hands, he said, "Well, I better head home, now. It was a great party. I got to meet new people."

"I'm glad you had a good time, even if Dane provided a little bit of drama," she said. "Good that you met some new people. You can't be all about work, while you're here. You have to have a social life, too. Maybe you should start dating here in San Francisco."

He was taken aback by her statement. "Dating?" he repeated, a little incredulous.

"Yeah. There were some lovely women, here," Cristina said, as she put away the final dishes. "Did you like any of them?"

"Um, I think I better leave now," he said, more than a little miffed that she would actually suggest that he date.

"Okay, I will see you on Monday, sir," she said. "Goodbye. Thanks for helping with the dishes and thanks for coming." He noted that she called him "sir" again. He gave a curt goodbye and let himself out of the house. Janet came into the kitchen and emptied her dustpan into the garbage bin.

"I see that Mr. Hunt has left," Janet said. "He seemed to be peeved, as he passed me, out there."

"Peeved? Whatever for?" Cristina said.

"What did you say to him, Cristina?" Janet said. "Did you insult the man?"

"Of course not," Cristina said. "We were just having a nice conversation. He told me he had met some new people at the party and I told him that he should have a social life, while he was in San Francisco and that there were quite a few attractive women at the party."

"Oh, Cristina, my little friend, how can you be so naïve?" Janet said, sitting down at the kitchen table and stretching.

"What do you mean?" Cristina asked.

"Let me give you the wisdom that my 28 years of life on this earth has taught me. He does not want to date any women he met at your party," Janet said. "He wants to date you."

"Oh, please," Cristina said. "I know we had that one-night stand in Vegas but we decided to ignore it and work together, like if it had not happened."

Janet cackled. Cristina did not like that her friend was laughing at her. "Stop laughing, Janet," she said.

"Oh, Cristina, why do you think he asked for you in the first place? He saw you and he asked for you," Janet said. "That decision had nothing to do with me. I clearly have more experience but he wanted you."

"You're wrong, Janet. He hasn't said or done anything that has made him seem like he was interested in me," Cristina said. "He has not made any passes or hit on me."

"Hmmm," Janet said. "Cristina, I am never wrong about these things. The thing is how do you feel about the guy?"

"He is very attractive but looks aren't everything. He is kind, considerate and very thoughtful. He is also funny and makes me laugh, when we are working together. He is actually a very nice guy. He is quite likeable," Cristina said. "But, still…."

Janet shook her head. "Oh, Cristina." She yawned. "I think I am going up to the guest room and hit the sack. I will talk to you in the morning."

"Okay, good night," Cristina said. She tidied up the kitchen before she headed up to the master suite on the top floor. She took a shower, changed into a nightshirt and slipped under her cool covers. She couldn't sleep, so she pulled on a robe and walked out to her deck, to watch the lights of the city. Just a couple of hours earlier, she and Owen had stood there, admiring the view. Somehow, it had felt like it was just the two of them. Somehow, it had felt magical being with him.

She shivered as a cool breeze whipped her curls. She crawled back into her bed. She touched herself as she remembered Owen's hands all over her body, that night in Vegas and how they had made love over and over again. She closed her eyes and imagined him inside of her. She realized she was wet with desire.

She wondered if Janet was right, that Owen had designs on her that was more than a work colleague relationship. She felt she had to test Janet's theory. She knew what she was going to do.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thanks for the reviews. I hope you are enjoying this story.**


	6. Chapter 6 The Experiment

His name was Cal Evans. With his floppy dark hair and his blue-grey eyes, he was a handsome man and he knew it. He was the office Lothario, a man who had unashamedly bedded many of the women, working at Woolmers. Even Janet had slept with him, once. Or so she said, Cristina thought. Cristina figured it was probably more than once because Janet had this strange, dreamy look when they talked about Cal.

Despite his reputation as a womanizer, he was very charming and perhaps, this was why people were able to forgive his indiscretions. One person he had not had the pleasure of taking to his bedroom was Cristina Yang. So when he got the message from her that she wanted to see him, he was intrigued.

He knocked on the door. "Come in," he heard her say.

"Cristina Yang, I got your message that you wanted to see me," he said, as he took a seat in one of the chairs in her office.

"Hi, Cal. Thanks for coming," she said, giving him a beaming smile.

"Does this mean that you have changed your mind about going out with me? I asked you two years ago and you turned me down, several times. So, what has brought about this change?" he asked, with a huge grin.

"I haven't changed my mind. But I do have a proposition for you," she said.

"A proposition. Now, that makes me excited," he said, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Not that kind of proposition," she said. "I want you to pretend that you are into me."

"Pretend to be into you? That's not actually hard," he said. "Because I am so into you."

"Yeah, me and everybody else," she said, drily.

"Ah, you hurt my feelings," he said in mock sorrow. "For whose benefit am I going to pretend that I am so into you?"

"Never mind about that," Cristina said. "I am going to gauge his reaction to it. If he gets all mad about it, then I know that he likes me."

"This is going to a whole lot of trouble for this guy," Cal said. "He must be worth it."

"Yeah, I think so," Cristina said. "I hope this will not affect any of your other office activities with the ladies, around here."

"Okay, I have no problems doing this for you but what do I get out of it?" he asked. "It takes two hands to clap, you know."

"Well, I will take you out to dinner. My treat. Any restaurant in San Francisco," she said.

"You know I am not a cheap date," he said. "So better break out that credit card."

"No problem, Cal," she said. "Just do this for me. Is it a deal?"

"Yes," Cal said. They both shook hands to seal the deal. "When do you want to start this?"

"Like, right now," she said. "Just come out of my office and laugh and say something, flirtatiously, as you leave."

As Cal left Cristina's office, he laughed, loudly and said, "Don't mind if I do, pretty lady. You always make my day."

Owen, who was walking to Cristina's office to discuss the week's assignments, was taken aback to see Cal coming out of Cristina's office. He immediately recognized the man as the office Casanova. What was he doing coming out of Cristina's office?

As Cal passed him, he said, "Mr. Hunt."

"Mr. Evans," Owen said. He walked to Cristina's office and knocked on the door. "Come in," she said.

"Oh, hi," she said, as he came in.

"Good morning, Cristina. Um, what was Cal Evans doing here?" he asked, in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone.

"Cal? He was just dropping off some more Marketing numbers," Cristina said. She knew she was lying and she hoped it wasn't showing on her face.

"Really? Usually, Marketing passes the numbers through me," Owen said. "Why didn't he come to me?"

"Oh, Cal knew I was working on them, so he just came up to drop them off," she said, staring at her computer.

"Oh, okay," Owen said. "Um, you do know he has a terrible reputation as a ladies' man."

"Yes," Cristina said. "I guess he can't help it. He is quite handsome and very charming." She smiled like if she had a secret. Owen did not like that smile at all because she wasn't actually smiling at him but at her own thoughts. This was terrible, he thought. First, she told him that he should try and date and now, she was telling him that Cal Evans was handsome and charming. He was dumbfounded for the moment.

"Owen, is there something that you need?" she said.

"Ah, yes," he said. "This is what I would like to do for this week." He sat down and opened his folder.

* * *

Owen looked at the clock on his wall. It was 11.55 a.m., getting closer to lunchtime. He wondered whether to eat in his office or go to the lunchroom. Then, he saw them. They were passing right by the glass wall of his office – Cristina and Cal. They appeared to be going out because Cristina had her handbag with her. Were they going out to lunch? Cristina, as far as he knew, only went out on Fridays with Janet. Here she was, giggling with Cal, as they passed his office. Not only that, Cal's arm was around Cristina's back. He got up and watched them go into the elevator. He could not help himself as he jumped into the other elevator and headed down to the lobby. The elevator door opened in time for him to see them leave the building. He surreptitiously followed them to the café down the street. He watched them enter the café and take a corner booth. He took a seat at one of the tables on the patio, hoping that they would not see him. He ordered a sandwich and a drink and continued his surveillance. He hoped that he was not being too obvious.

Little did he know that Cristina had already spotted him back at their office building. She had made a great show of laughing loudly in front of his office and allowing Cal to rest his hand on her back. When she left the building, she had seen him coming out of the elevator. She and Cal had planned to separate, as soon as they got out of the building but that was not going to be the case, as she noticed that he started following them.

"Oh, good grief," she said. "It looks like we are going to have lunch, together."

"What? Why? I thought that we were going to go our separate ways, once we got out of the building," Cal said, puzzled. "Why did you change your mind?"

"Because he is following us," Cristina said. Cal made a quick look around and noticed Mr. Hunt, trying to look like he was just out on a walk.

"Oh, my God, it's Hunt you're testing," Cal said. He pitched back his head and laughed, loudly.

"Yes, it is," Cristina said. "Don't look around. You are going to make it too obvious."

"You like that guy?" Cal said. "Is that your type? You like him and not me?" He was a little incredulous, when he said it. It was rare that he would come across a woman who did not fancy him.

"Yeah, I think I like him, Cal. As for liking you, I like you well enough but just not in that way. I am just trying to figure out if he likes me," Cristina said.

"Well, he is definitely following us," Cal said. "I think you may have proven your theory."

"Well, I don't know as yet. You do have an awful reputation," Cristina said, as they took their seats in the café. "He may be thinking that he is trying to protect me from the likes of you."

"Me? Little old me?" Cal said, with a cheeky grin. "By the way, he has taken a table in the outside patio to spy on us."

"Yeah, I noticed that," Cristina said. "Let's just order, have our lunch and get out of here."

"Okay," Cal said. He reached over and squeezed her hand. "You think he saw that?"

"I don't know," Cristina said, as she removed her hand from his.

Owen certainly did see that Cal squeezing Cristina's hand. What did she think she was doing with this Don Juan? He unhappily munched at his sandwich, not even tasting how good it really was. His server looked at him and wondered at the man's dour expression. She sighed. When the customer looked as unhappy as that, it usually meant that they were not going to leave a good tip.

Cristina and Cal finished up their lunch, while having some friendly conversation. "So are we going to acknowledge his presence as we leave this place?" Cal asked. He was rather enjoying this charade and especially at the expense of Hunt, who he knew, had the admiration of many of the women at Woolmers. That was cutting into his action.

"I guess we should. It would look weird if we ignored him," Cristina said. "I think I will give him a friendly wave."

They paid their bill and left. Owen had wanted to leave before they came out of the café but the server was taking so long with his bill. "Oh, good Lord," he thought. "They are so going to see me here." Cristina and Cal came out of the café and gave him a wave, as they headed back to the office. He waved back and gave them a sheepish grin. He consoled himself in thinking that since the café was so close to the office, a lot of people from their workplace, frequented the place. So Cal and Cristina should not consider it a coincidence that he was there, he reasoned.

He waited five minutes before he got up and left the café. Contrary to what his server had thought, he did leave her a nice tip. He walked back to his office, feeling quite down. He could not believe that she was thinking of dating that idiot. Didn't she care that he had been with so many women?

He got into his office with a heavy heart and slumped in his office chair. He couldn't even think about working. He needed to find out more. He knew who he could ask but he had to do it in a very casual way. He walked to Janet's office, hoping she was there. He knocked on the door.

"Come in," Janet said. When the door opened, she was surprised to see Mr. Hunt.

"Mr. Hunt, how can I help you?" she asked.

"Um, Janet, I know you're working with Mr. Coates, these days. But I can't seem to find him. Has he crunched the finance numbers for the Merton project?" Owen asked. This was not true. He hadn't even looked for Coates in his office.

"The Merton project?" Janet said. "We have some preliminary numbers. I will email them to you. When we're finished, I will remind Mr. Coates to send them along to you."

"Thank you," Owen said. "Where's Cristina? Don't you usually have lunch together?"

"I had to work on something that Coates needed by 1.30, so I worked through my lunch hour," Janet said. "I think she may have gone out. She will probably be back soon." Owen already knew that Cristina had gone out and come back.

Janet was proving not to be too forthcoming about Cristina and her lunch date. He decided to take a more direct route. "Do you know anything about Cal Evans?" Owen asked. "I was thinking of including him in one of my projects. I was wondering what you thought about him." A dreamy look came over Janet's face, as if she was remembering something rather pleasant.

"Cal?" she repeated. "He's that guy from Marketing. Very proficient in what he does." Owen wondered if Janet was talking about something else and not marketing.

"Doesn't he have a reputation with the ladies?" Owen asked, nonchalantly.

"Cal?" she said. "Well, a bit." The same dreamy look came over Janet's face. What the hell was that about, Owen wondered.

"If someone you know was getting involved with Cal, shouldn't you say something so she wouldn't get hurt?" Owen asked.

"Well, if anyone is getting involved with Cal, they already know what kind of reputation he has," Janet said. She was beginning to think that this was a very strange conversation. Then, it dawned on her; he could only be talking about Cristina because she was the only female that Owen was concerned about in the office.

"Okay, thank you," Owen said, a little more disturbed than when he came into her office.

Janet immediately picked up her phone and dialed her friend.

"What is going on, Cristina Yang? Are you hooking up with Cal Evans?" Janet shrieked into the phone.

"Oh, my God, that has reached you, already. No, we are not hooking up. He is just assisting me in an experiment," Cristina said. "Repeat – we are not hooking up."

"Does your experiment have anything to do with Owen Hunt?" Janet said, excitedly.

"Well, if you must know, I am actually testing your theory that he likes me," Cristina said.

"There is no doubt, my friend, he likes you. He came here, asking all kind of questions about Cal Evans," Janet said, laughing. "It is so true."

"He was?" Cristina said. "What did he say?"

"He was asking about if I knew someone who was getting involved with Cal, wouldn't I say something so she wouldn't get hurt. I told him that if anyone was getting involved with Cal, they already know of his reputation," Janet asked. Cristina laughed.

Janet continued, "This is so much fun, Cristina. If you need any help, I am here."

"Alright, Janet, thanks. Talk to you later," Cristina said. She hung up the phone. There was a huge smile on her face. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said, in an upbeat voice. It was Owen.

"Cristina, can I speak to you for a moment?" he said. He quietly closed the door and started pacing.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments. Thanks for leaving your reviews. They are very much appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7 Date me

Cristina watched Owen pacing in her office. It greatly amused her because it seemed that he was trying to find the right words to say.

"Do you need a seat, sir?" she asked. "You will tire yourself out with all of that pacing."

"No," he said. "I prefer to stand." He let out a breath before he continued, "Cristina, I observed your lunch date, earlier today was Cal Evans."

"Yes," Cristina said. "Cal and I saw you there, too. Remember we waved at you."

"Well, that is what I have come to talk to you about," he said, hoping his voice was not betraying his true intent.

"Who? Cal?" she said, trying to act surprised.

"Well, in our earlier conversation, I think I mentioned that Cal has quite the reputation as a ladies' man," Owen said.

"Yes, I remember that," Cristina said. "And I told you that I thought he was handsome and charming." Owen cringed. It had bothered him the first time she said it. It felt even worse, now.

"I hope I am not too forward with this next question. Are you dating Cal Evans, or thinking about dating him?" Owen said.

"Mr. Hunt, are you enquiring about my personal life?" Cristina said. She wanted to laugh but she kept her voice calm and controlled.

"Well, it is just that I am looking out for your welfare. Cal Evans has a terrible reputation and he has broken many a woman's heart in this company. I have only been here a little over a month and I was made aware of this, already," he said. "He is not good company for a young lady like yourself. He only wants one thing."

"One thing, sir?" she queried, in an innocent tone. As if she didn't know what he was talking about, she thought.

"Yes," Owen said. "And please remember to call me Owen."

"Are you insinuating that Cal is only hanging out with me because he wants to sleep with me, Owen?" Cristina said.

"Well, the man's tawdry reputation precedes him," Owen said, flatly.

"I don't know whether I should be flattered that you're looking out for me or insulted that you don't think I can handle myself with a man such as Cal Evans," Cristina said, with a stern look on her face.

"Um, I am not insulting you, Cristina," Owen said. "I just think it might not be a wise idea to go out with a guy like Cal Evans. He is the love 'em and leave 'em type."

"Really?" she said. "So since we're on the topic, Owen, what kind of guys do you think I should date? I'm rather curious."

He finally sat down. "You should date a guy who is kind and generous and considerate of your feelings. He should treat you the way you should be treated. You shouldn't be one out of many girls that he is dating. You should be his one and only," he said, earnestly.

"Okay," Cristina said. "Where can I find a guy like that? My dating history has been spotty. The last guy I dated for more than six months was Dane and you saw how that ended."

"A guy like that could be closer than you think," he said, hoping she would take the hint.

"Who?" she said, then she started calling out the names of guys who worked in the office. "Charlie Slaughter? Nah, he is engaged. Trevor Burns? Nope, I think he is gay. Lou Chavez? No, he is married. Justin Granger? He is a hottie but I think he has a girlfriend."

"Stop it, Cristina. You're just torturing me. Me! I am talking about me," he said. "I am the guy who wants to date you." He felt a little embarrassed but at least, he managed to get it out.

"Finally, you say it," she said, laughing.

"What are you saying? You knew that I wanted to date you?" he said, wondering what was going on.

"No, not really. That's why I tested you this morning with Cal," she said. "I wanted to see how you would react."

He scoffed. "It was all a test. Me following you to that café like an idiot," he said. "It was all just a test?"

"Well, Janet said you liked me and I wanted to make sure that it was true before I made a fool of myself," she said. "Are you mad?"

"Yes, I am," he said. He got up and walked out of her office and made a swift return to his own office. Cristina sat there, shocked. What had just happened? He was mad that she put him to the test. This was not the way it was supposed to work out. She wondered what to do. She sat in her office for a full five minutes, contemplating what she was going to say.

She quietly knocked on his door. "Come in," he said, gruffly.

She entered and stood in the doorway. "I apologize if you were offended by my little charade with Cal. I didn't mean to offend you." She turned around to leave. She wanted to get out of there, fast and back to the safety of her own office.

"That's it?" he asked. "That's all you're going to say."

"Yes," she said, looking back at him. She turned away, again, to leave.

"The results of your little experiment proved you right. So what are we going to do about it?" he said.

"Excuse me? What, what, what?" she said, turning back around.

"Your charade was successful. You've proven that I like you," he said. "And the only reason that you would go through all of this trouble is that I think you like me, too. Isn't that true?"

She nodded.

"I will take that as a yes," he said. "So we have established that I like you and you like me. So the next logical thing to do is to go on a date."

"Okay," she said.

"What about tonight? I will pick you up at your house for about 7.30," he said. "I will make reservations. Do you like Italian?"

She nodded.

"Good," he said.

She turned to go, then she turned back. "No, I cannot make it, tonight. I am sorry. I already have plans."

"What?" he asked.

"I have a date with Cal," she said, sheepishly.

"You don't have to go out with Cal, anymore. You proved your point," Owen said, puzzled. "You can drop the pretense."

"Um, it's his payment for helping me with my experiment. I am taking him to dinner," she said. "A deal is a deal."

"Hmmm, a date with Cal. I don't think I like that very much," he said.

"It's okay. He is fun and charming and quite good-looking," Cristina said. "It should be a good night."

"That's what I am afraid of. He is all of those things and his reputation for bedding the young women of this company makes it all worse," he said.

"I will be fine," she said. "Nothing untoward is going to happen between Cal and me. Nothing has ever happened between the two of us, in the two years that I have worked here, so nothing is definitely going to happen, now."

"Well, okay," he said. "What about tomorrow night? Same plans. I will pick you up at 7.30. Please don't tell me you have other plans."

"No, that's fine. Tomorrow, it is," she said, as she turned to leave. "By the way, I have finished that report I was working on. I will email it to you. "

"Thanks," he said. "And I wasn't mad, Cristina. I just pretended to be mad."

"Oh, you cheeky devil," she said, closing the door. He grinned back at her. Life was certainly on the upswing, he thought.

* * *

Her dinner date with Cal did turn out to be fine. Cal spent the night, scoping out the women at the restaurant. They were like buddies for most of the night, though Cal did try to get into her house for a nightcap, when he dropped her off. She shook her head. "That's a no, right," he said, disappointed. "At least, I tried. Hunt is a lucky bastard."

The next morning, Owen stopped by her office. "How was your date?" he asked.

"If you're asking if Cal wheedled his way into my bed, the answer is no. He was unsuccessful but he did try," she answered. Owen chuckled, as he left.

* * *

Her date tonight was going to be different, she knew. She came home from work around 6 p.m. and immediately started to get ready. She tried on five different outfits before she found the right one – it was sexy but not overly sexy. It was a red, strapless, fitted dress. While it showed off her body, it was not as revealing as the outfit she wore in Vegas. She put on her make-up and brushed out her curls. He was used to seeing her hair up in that bun, so it was nice to wear it down. When she heard the doorbell, she went down the three flights of stairs. She gave herself a final onceover in the foyer mirror, before she answered the door.

"Hello, Owen," she said. "Right on time. Come in, while I find my purse and coat."

She took his breath away. "You look beautiful," he said, most appreciatively.

"Thanks," she said. All her efforts had not gone unnoticed, she thought. She was pleased about that. She took out her coat from the hallway closet and picked up her purse. "I am ready to go," she announced.

"You should wear your hair down, more often," he said. "You have lovely hair with all of these curls." He had last seen her with her hair down at her house-warming party. He had so wanted to run his fingers through it. He hoped that soon, he would be able to do that, again.

They went off to this Italian restaurant that he had looked up on the Internet. It had gotten great reviews, even the SFGate Foodie had recommended it. He wanted to make sure that this evening went off without a hitch. They were finally dating and it was not going to be a one-night encounter, anymore.

As they took their seats in an intimate corner, near a window, Owen marveled at how lovely she looked in the candle light. "You really look lovely," he said.

"Thanks but you told me that before," she said. "You really clean up well, too."

"Thanks," he said. "I am glad we are giving this a try. I have wanted to do this since I first saw you, when I came here."

"Really?" she said. "Honestly, I thought it was the worst thing that could have happened to me, when you showed up."

"Oh," he said, softly.

"But I was wrong," she continued. "I didn't give you the benefit of the doubt. It's just I thought that the old adage, 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' was really going to be true. It was a moment of letting loose, being wild. I just didn't expect it to hit me, when I got back to my mundane, ordinary life."

"And now, how do you feel about everything?" he asked.

"I am glad that I am getting the opportunity to know you," she said. He smiled. "Me, too," he responded. They had an extremely enjoyable dinner. He loved hearing about her grandpa, who had now retired in Florida and her parents, who lived in San Jose and her college days on the east coast, when she went to school at Cornell. He asked her, whether she would ever think about relocating to the east coast. It was an innocent enough question, he thought, but there was real intent behind it to find out if there was hope for them, beyond his time here at Woolmers' west coast office. She responded that while she loved going to school in the east, she was a west coast girl all of the way and loved living in San Francisco, especially now, that she owned her grandpa's beautiful house.

She found out about his childhood, living in New York City, on the Upper East Side. He was well schooled in the arts as he spent much of his childhood in the museums, the city ballet, the opera and the symphony, since his parents were major contributors to all of them. He told her that he was always an east coast boy. The west coast girl and the east coast boy both realized at the same time that their relationship seemed to have an expiry date on it. In five months, he would be gone, back to the Upper East Side. Neither said anything about it but Cristina knew that since he was leaving in five months, she could not fall in love with him. It would make absolutely no sense, she thought. It would only bring her heartbreak.

When he took her home, he walked her up her stairs to her door. She wanted him to kiss her but she was too shy to say so. It was just as well that he took the initiative. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. All those intense feelings of desire that they both felt, when they first kissed each other in Vegas, came flying back. They remembered the taste of each other and their bodies responded, as the kisses grew more fervent and passionate. While they continued to kiss, he pinned her against her front door, while he took the keys from her and opened the door. He turned the doorknob to open the door and they both fell inside into her foyer. He kicked the door closed. It was so reminiscent of their time together in Vegas.

Then, he stopped. As they lay on the floor, he turned to her and asked, "Should we be doing this?"

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts. I do appreciate when you do.**


	8. Chapter 8 A New Relationship

"What do you mean?" Cristina asked. "It's not like we haven't done this before."

"I know that," Owen said. "But the last time we did this, you weren't yourself. You were Kim, the wild girl without a care in the world, who didn't want to know me after that night."

"So you don't want to do this?" she asked. She cocked one of her eyebrows up.

"Oh, yes, I do, I really do," he said. "I have been thinking about this, for quite a while, now. But if we do this, are you going to treat me the same way that Kim treated me? Like if I was persona non grata."

"I can't do that," she said. "This is my house. You are the one who will be sneaking out at the crack of dawn." She grinned at him.

"No, I won't be sneaking out," he said. "I will wake you up and tell you that I am leaving. Or leave you a note, saying that I left. I will treat you better than Kim treated me." He grinned back. "But in all seriousness, though, this is not going to be a one-and-done thing. I want to continue seeing and dating you, after this. I just want to know if you are on the same page."

"Yes," she said. She smiled back and reached out for his hand.

"Okay," he said. "So can we go upstairs and go to your bedroom? I am all for spontaneity but I think the bed would be more comfortable than the hardwood floors of your foyer."

"Okay," she said. She got up and offered him a hand to help him up off from the floor. As soon as he got up, she released his hand and took off. "Race you up the stairs," she screamed, as she started running. He chased after her, "You wicked girl." She shrieked with laughter, as she yelled back, " You can't catch me, Owen!" She ran into her bedroom and flung herself on to her bed. He came through the doorway, "Those are a lot of steps," he said, as he fell on top of her and started kissing her once again.

"You taste so good," he said between kisses. "And your lips are so soft. I remember this so well." He started unzipping her dress and then he slipped it off. She was already bare on top, as she had been wearing a strapless dress. He gently took each nipple into his mouth, sucking gently on them, until they hardened under his tongue. He continued with a trail of kisses down to her stomach and then, he slipped off her panties. His mouth found her sex, as he used his skilful tongue to make her moan with delight. He worked arduously with his tongue and his fingers and made her groan with pleasure. She held on to his head and ran her fingers through his hair.

He suddenly raised his head. "Why did you stop?" she squeaked.

"I just realized I don't have any condoms," he said.

"What? No condoms. I thought you were a man, who was always prepared," she said, teasingly.

"Well, the last time, the only reason I had condoms was because Louis had shoved them in my jacket pocket. Otherwise, I would not have had any. I wasn't really going to the nightclub to pick up girls. I just happened to meet a girl that I really, really liked and I couldn't help myself," he said, grinning mischievously.

"Good to know that wasn't your usual modus operandi," she said. "Check the bedside table and come back, quickly."

"In a couple of seconds, I promise. You're so impatient about this," he promised, as he stripped off his clothes in a hurry. He went over to the bedside table and grabbed a few condoms from the drawer.

"Of course, I am," she said. "I want you, now." She pulled him back on to the bed and gently nipped at him, before she found herself, down at his cock. She started by licking the entire length of his penis before slipping the head into the mouth. She teased with her tongue, as she sucked on the tip of his cock. She looked up at him with naughty eyes before she started bopping down on it. It was his turn to groan with pleasure. "Cristina, you are killing me here," he rasped out. He reached back and held on to the bars of the headboard. He closed his eyes and reveled in the bliss that she was giving him.

He could feel himself wanting to come, so he suddenly flipped her over, ripped open a condom and slipped it on to himself, before he drilled himself into her, pounding into her with a ferocity that was so reminiscent of their time in Vegas. She responded by jerking her body upwards to meet his every thrust. She screamed, as she willed him to get deeper into her. When they climaxed, it was such sweet release. He lay on her, as they both caught their breaths. He rolled off of her, got off from the bed and dropped off his used condom into her wastebasket. As he came back to join her on the bed, she noticed him counting the remaining condom packets.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I am just checking how much more times we can do this," he said, grinning. He pulled her close. "But that's only if you want to do this some more."

"Yes, I do," she said, snuggling against him. He turned her towards him and kissed her, deeply.

* * *

It was around 6.00 a.m. when he awoke. He looked around the white and blue bedroom and then, he remembered where she was. She was snuggled under his arm. Though he wished they could stay like that, he needed to go home, take a shower and get changed for work. He gently shook her awake.

"Cristina," he said. She opened her eyes but it seemed she wasn't quite yet focused. "I am going home to change for work." She nodded, sleepily. He slipped out of the bed and changed back into the suit he had worn the night before. As he got dressed, she observed him but she didn't say anything. He leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips. "I will see you at work at nine." She nodded and yawned, before closing her eyes for a last snooze.

* * *

When he went into work that day, he was surprised to see Cristina already in her office. She had got there before him.

"Hey," he said. "Are you ready to start?"

"Yes," she said. "I will be in your office in five minutes, Mr. Hunt."

"Okay," he said but as he walked away, he realized she had called him Mr. Hunt. He went to his office and awaited her arrival.

She entered his office and sat on the chair on the opposite side of his desk.

"Hey," he said. "Sorry I had to run out of there, so early this morning but I had to get changed for work."

"No problem," she said. "But don't you think it might be better if we don't discuss these things at work. We need to draw a line between our work life and our personal life."

Puzzled, he decided to agree to it. "Okay, if that is what you want."

"It's just that I don't want people around here, gossiping about you and me," Cristina said. "I don't want my name to be on everyone's lips because we are sleeping together."

"I understand," he said. "So we are not going to make people aware of our relationship."

"Yes," she said. "It will make life easier. I don't want people to say that I am sleeping with you to get ahead in the company, when it is not true."

"Okay," he said. "Let's get down to today's work agenda."

"Yes, shall we?" she said, opening her folder.

* * *

So, for the rest of the week, they neatly separated their work from their personal life. No one, with the exception of Janet, knew that they were seeing each other, outside of office hours. After work, he would pick her up from her house and they would go out for a bit, before they headed back to her place, where he stayed the night. He would disappear early in the morning to get ready for work.

On Friday, he left his usual treat on her desk. Today, it was a slice of butterscotch peach pie. He had never mentioned that he was the one, providing all of the sweet desserts. He was about to leave when she opened the door.

"Ah, ha, it's you. I thought it was you," she said. "You are the Dessert Fairy."

"How did you know it was me?" he asked. "I never gave any hint that it was me."

"Well, who else in this office would have done this, without letting me know. All the guys in the office, if they were doing it, would have already owned up," she said. "Besides, the first time, the dessert appeared was when the coconut cupcake was left on my desk. You asked whether I was going to eat it and then, when I said if it could be poisoned, you looked all alarmed and said that the person probably had good intentions. That's when I suspected it was you. The only person who would know that the dessert fairy had good intentions would be the dessert fairy himself."

"Okay, I confess that it is true. I mean I couldn't let a perfectly good coconut cupcake go to waste," he said. "I wanted you to eat it."

"Thank you, anyway," she said. "I love having my Friday dessert treat." She was just about to take a piece of the butterscotch peach pie, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Cristina responded. It was Mr. Morrison.

"Ah, Cristina, good thing you are here," Morrison said. "Good to see you, Hunt."

"Yes," Owen said. "How are you?"

"Doing fine," Morrison said. "Cristina, I need your help. We had a client come in from Arizona, today. Mr. Lorenzo Diaz. He brought his son with him. His name is Ricardo and he's like 22 or 23 years old. Of course, he is terribly bored here in the office. I was wondering whether you could take him out, tonight and let him experience some of the San Francisco nightlife. Maybe, take him to the nightclub or something like that. Naturally, it will all be on the company's entertainment account."

"Why are you asking me, Mr. Morrison?" Cristina wondered. "I have never entertained clients before."

"You're the one closest to his age and he certainly is not going to hang out with the old fogeys like his dad and me. You are young and single and I am sure he would prefer the company of a beautiful, young lady than us," Morrison said. "Mr. Diaz and I will be having an evening at the cigar club and that is something that I am certain Ricardo would not like to do."

"Well, if you need me to do it," Cristina said, a little unsure about this. This is the first time she had ever been asked to entertain a client on behalf of the company and she was nervous about it.

"Good, good, come, I would like to introduce you to Ricardo. He and his dad are in my office," Morrison said. "Good day, Hunt." Cristina followed Morrison back to his office.

Owen blinked once. He blinked twice. Did that just happen in front of him? Morrison just set up Cristina on a date with a client's son. What the hell? She was his girlfriend, for goodness sake.

He stepped out of Cristina's office and peered over at Morrison's office. An older gentleman, greying at the temples and a young, strikingly handsome, dark-haired man were both being introduced to Cristina. The young man, who had a rather indolent look about him, suddenly perked up when he met Cristina.

"Oh, no, young man, don't think that just because she is going to take you out tonight, means that she is an escort," Owen thought. He didn't like it; he didn't like it one bit. Especially now that his Friday night plans for a dinner and a movie and spending the night at Cristina's place were not going to happen. He was peeved; he was more than peeved. He was totally pissed. He wondered if Morrison had known that she was his girlfriend if he would have been so quick to choose her to entertain the young Mr. Diaz. Maybe there was a downside to keeping their relationship a secret.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments. Thanks for your thoughts.**


	9. Chapter 9 An Unexpected Consequence

Owen tossed and turned in his bed. He picked up his phone from the bedside table and stared at the time. It was 3.13 a.m. He had heard nothing from Cristina, since she had gone out with Ricardo. She called him to say that she was headed to Ricardo's hotel to pick him up. That was about 10 p.m. Since then, not a word.

He got up and went to the balcony off his bedroom and stared at the lights of San Francisco. He decided to give her a call. After two rings, she answered. He could hear the pounding music and the loud chatter in the background. "Hello," she shouted into the phone.

"Cristina!" he shouted back.

"Owen, I can't hear you. The music is too loud. I am going to hang up," she said. "I will call you, tomorrow. Wait a minute, it's morning, already. I will talk to you, later today. Bye." She hung up. He stared at his phone, a little irate. He crawled back into his bed and finally fell asleep. He didn't wake up until around 9 a.m. He went to the kitchen and made himself a cup of hot black coffee and a stack of pancakes, accompanied by maple syrup.

Cristina had not called as yet. He figured she probably wouldn't call him until the afternoon, given that she was still out at the nightclub in the wee hours of the morning. He was not going to call her. She was going to have to call him, he decided. Other people did call and he rushed to answer the phone but was sorely disappointed that none of them was her. As the hours passed, he kept looking at his phone to see if he had any missed calls from her.

It was about 3.15 p.m. in the afternoon that he finally got the call he was waiting for. He eagerly picked up the phone when he saw her number, "Hello, Cristina," he said.

"Hello, Owen," she croaked out. Her voice sounded raspy and gravelly.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Did you just get up?"

"Yes," she admitted. "Didn't get back home until about 5.30 a.m. this morning. I dropped off Ricardo at his hotel, around 4.30 a.m. but I had to get him upstairs to his room because he was drunk."

"Oh?" Owen said. "You went to his room?" He felt the hairs at the back of his neck raise.

"Yes, I had to make sure that he got in, safely because he was so drunk. It won't be on my watch that something happens to a client's son. Then, he thought I was going to stay the night with him. I had to extricate myself out of that," Cristina said.

"What!" Owen exclaimed. He was starting to fume. That little runt had the gall to think that Cristina was there to sleep with him.

"It's okay," Cristina reassured. "I can take care of myself. He was too drunk to do anything, anyway."

"I don't like this, Cristina. Let me rephrase that. I hate this," Owen said. "You are not going to do this, again."

She groaned. He continued, "If we let everyone know that we are together, then they won't ask you to do this, again. They thought you were single and they felt it was okay to ask you."

She groaned even more. "No, Owen, no," she responded. "I don't want anyone to know about us. I can't handle the gossip. This will be so detrimental to me."

He paused. He hated that she didn't want anyone to know about their relationship. He decided to make a concession. "Okay, then, I will agree to this on one condition," he said. "That you no longer accept any of these assignments. They can't force you to do it, especially since it is on your private time."

"Okay, agreed," she said. "Last night took a lot out of me. I must be getting old. Remember I told you that I can barely keep my eyes open past midnight. I had to down a lot of Red Bull last night so I would stay awake. By the time I got home, I was still so wired. I didn't fall asleep until about 9 a.m."

He laughed at the thought. "Now that you are awake, can I come over?" he asked.

"Yup, if you want," she said.

"I want," he answered. "Okay," she replied. "Maybe we can whip up some dinner and watch a movie on Netflix."

"Yes, I would like that," he said.

"You know what? Us as a couple isn't half-bad," she said. "Imagine we've only been a couple less than a week and somehow, it feels really good."

"Yes, it does," he concurred. "It feels amazing. I will see you in a bit." He hung up the phone and grinned. Life was good.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, they enjoyed life as a couple. They did manage to keep their personal life out of the office. Though, sometimes, when they were in the same meeting with other managers, he would sneak a look at her and they would share a secret smile that no one else saw. In front of others, she called him Mr. Hunt but when they were alone together, he was just Owen. He still brought her a Friday dessert, making sure he was not seen by other people in the office.

The evenings and the weekends, they spent them together. They went out to dinner, to the movies, to the museums, to the bookstores, to the parks, to weekend trips out of the city. They weren't a flashy couple. They liked going out to dinner but they were not the night life kind of people. They just liked staying at home, being with each other and enjoying each other's company. Being with Owen brought serenity in her world.

"You're different," Janet said. They were having lunch together out at a café, near their work place.

"What do you mean?" Cristina asked, knitting her eyebrows together as she gave Janet a quizzical look.

"Being with Owen Hunt has been good for you," Janet said. "You have a calmness about you. When you were with Dane, you were always on edge."

"That's because Dane and I fought a lot," Cristina responded. "He always wanted to do things that I was not interested in. We just didn't like the same things. In short, we were incompatible."

"So you're saying that you and Hunt are compatible," Janet said, as she took a sip of her drink.

"I guess we are," Cristina replied. She thought about him and it brought a smile to her face.

"You're thinking about him, now, aren't you?" Janet said. "You have a look that comes over your face, when you think about him."

"Yes, I am and I am not ashamed to say that," she said. "Officially, we have only been together only about five weeks but it seems longer than that. Sometimes, I can't imagine that we met in Vegas, a little more than nine weeks ago."

"If you are not ashamed to say that, then why don't you let everyone in the office know about your relationship?" Janet queried.

Cristina scoffed. "Oh, you know why. Remember what happened to Angelina Hutchins when she started dating that guy from Accounting."

"That was different," Janet said. "The guy from Accounting was married with two children and she wasn't dating him, she was having an affair with him. Your relationship is nothing like that."

"Still," Cristina said. "I don't want people to say that I am just sleeping with him because he can grant me certain favors. I know how gossip spreads around this office."

"Okay, if you say so," Janet said. If it was her, she would have been proud to say that the smoking hot guy in the corner office was her boyfriend. But alas, it was not her. She wondered when she would be able to find that special someone. She was tired of casual relationships and booty calls. She sometimes thought about Louis in Vegas. He had been wonderful; she wondered if they could have been a couple, if given the chance. "You're lucky, Cristina. He is great," she said.

"Yeah, he is," Cristina admitted. "But I can't fall in love with him. He's going to be gone in a couple of months."

"How are you going to stop yourself from falling in love with him?" Janet asked. "You guys spend every day together, both at work and at home. And how do you know that you haven't completely fallen for him, already?"

"Janet, I just can't," Cristina said, softly. "I just can't fall in love with him. It just can't happen." She looked sad, when she said it, so Janet reached forward and patted her friend's hand.

* * *

The next morning, Cristina woke up with a dull ache in her lower back. It had been aching for the past few days and she thought it was probably PMS. She groaned. Her period was rather erratic and she could never predict when it would come. She also got a bit of spotting, perhaps an indication that her period was coming. Her gynecologist had suggested that she go on the pill to help regulate her cycle. She figured it was probably time to do so, now that she was in this steady relationship with Owen. They wouldn't have to use condoms, anymore, if she was on the pill, she thought. She made up her mind to make an appointment with her doctor, later on in the week.

At the office, she spoke to Owen on her way to her office. They had a good chat about what he wanted done for the day and then told her that he would be out for the better part of the day, since he had meetings out of office. She told him to have a great day and headed to her office.

It was around 11.17 a.m. that it happened. It was a sharp pain, followed by very strong cramping. She doubled over in pain. It was like if her insides were tearing her apart. She managed to call Janet on her extension.

"Janet, please come. Something is wrong. I need to get to a doctor," Cristina whispered into the phone.  
"I am on my way," Janet's panicked voice said. In less than one minute, Janet was in the office. Cristina was curled up on the floor in a fetal position. Janet stopped for a moment, all she could see was the blood spreading across Cristina's skirt.

"What's happening?' Cristina said. "I am scared." Janet finally caught herself and called 911. "Just lay there, Cristina," she said. "Hang in there." Cristina was still bleeding.

The ambulance came, very quickly and whisked Cristina away to the hospital. Janet grabbed her purse and went with her. Everyone in the office was in shock as they saw Cristina's bloody clothes. What could have happened?

Janet held Cristina's hand in the ambulance. When they got to the emergency room, the doctor in charge yelled to an intern, "Looks like a miscarriage. Get Dr. Fields, we may need to do a D&C."

"Miscarriage?" Cristina squeaked. "I am having a miscarriage?"

"Yes, dear," the doctor said. "It looks like you already passed some of the tissue. We will check you and then pass you on to OB/GYN." Both Janet and Cristina were in shock. The doctor turned to Janet and told her that she had to go in the waiting room. There was nothing more she could do there, he said.

Janet squeezed Cristina's hand and left. "I will be outside, Cristina. I will stay until it is over," she reassured her friend.

"So how long have you been pregnant?" the doctor asked.

"I don't know," Cristina said. "My period is erratic, so I never know when I am going to get it."

"Did you have unprotected sex at any time?" he asked. She thought. She and Owen religiously used condoms. The only time they didn't do so was back in Vegas in the shower, nine and a half weeks ago.

"I think I know when it was," Cristina said. "Nine, almost ten weeks ago."

"Alright, we will take care of you," he said. "Don't worry about it. It's going to be alright." Cristina nodded, still not quite believing it all.

Janet sat in the waiting room, totally numb. She wondered if to call Owen. She knew he was out for the day but she didn't have Owen's number. She decided to call Owen's administrative assistant, Denise but she needed to be discreet about it, since no one knew about Owen and Cristina's relationship.

"Hello, Denise. This is Janet Tennyson," she said, trying to speak in a calm tone, even though she wanted to scream.

"Janet, thank goodness you called. What's happening with Cristina? All that blood," Denise said. "Everyone around here – we're all in shock. Is she going to be alright?"

"Um, yes, the doctors are taking care of her," Janet said. She didn't want to reveal too much about Cristina's miscarriage. "I need for you to tell Mr. Hunt about Cristina. That she has gone to the hospital."

"Mr. Hunt? Oh, yes, he is her supervisor," Denise reminded herself. "He is out of the office at the moment and won't be back until around 3 p.m. He told me not to disturb him, while he is in the meetings."

"Oh," Janet said. She didn't want to tell Denise that it was an emergency because that would set off alarm bells in Denise, given that Owen and Cristina were supposed to be having only a professional relationship.

"Um, am, um," Janet fought for the words. "Can you just tell Mr. Hunt when he comes back that Cristina is at St Luke's, if he would like to visit her this evening?"

"Will do, Janet," Denise said. "I will tell him as soon as he comes back. Tell Cristina that we are sending our best wishes."

"Yes, thank you, Denise," Janet said. "Goodbye." She hung up the phone, preparing herself for the long wait.

* * *

Owen had a rather productive day of meetings. He had managed to get a lot accomplished, so he was feeling rather pleased with himself. He was feeling really good and he was going to check on Cristina. He passed by her office but she was not there. He did note that there was a reddish-brown stain on the carpet. He wondered if Cristina had dropped a drink, there. He would have to remind her to get the cleaners to remove the stain. She probably was around, somewhere. He went to his office, ready to catch up with everything that may have happened while he was out.

"Denise," he said. "How was it today?"

"It was fine," she said. "Here are all of your messages." She handed him a pile of his messages. "Mr. Dorchester called and rescheduled his meeting for Friday. Mrs. Fitzgerald from your apartment building called and said there were several packages waiting for you at the manager's office. Oh, and Janet Tennyson called to say that Cristina is at St Luke's Hospital, if you wanted to visit."

"What?" Owen said, turning white. "What was that last thing about Cristina?"

"Cristina. I am not sure what happened. I just saw the blood and the ambulance came for her. Just a little before lunchtime," Denise said. "We were all very worried but Janet said the doctors were taking care of her."

"Blood?" Owen's voice cracked. Then, he remembered the dark stain in Cristina's office. How did she hurt herself, he wondered. "Why didn't you call me?" he demanded to know. Denise could sense the anxiety in Owen's voice.

"You said not to disturb you and that you would take your messages when you got back," she said.

"But this was an emergency," Owen said. Denise gave him a strange look. She was an astute woman and could tell from Mr. Hunt's reaction and tone of voice that there was more than a professional relationship going on between him and the young Ms. Yang.

"I am sorry, Mr. Hunt," Denise said. "Are you going to go over there, now?"

"Yes, yes I am," Owen said. He picked up his briefcase and literally ran out of the office to his car. He had an instant headache, as he imagined all of the worst possible outcomes. His heart was pounding out of his chest. What had happened to her? How did she hurt herself to be bleeding like this?

"Please, just let her be alright," he whispered to himself. His hands shook on the steering wheel.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to leave your thoughts.**


	10. Chapter 10 Recovery

Owen rushed into the emergency room and found out that they had transferred Cristina to the OB/GYN department. He was about to ask the nurse at the nurses' station, when he saw Janet.

"Janet, what happened?" he asked.

"Mr. Hunt, glad you're here. You can handle this better than me," she said. He didn't understand the sympathetic look on her face.

"Janet, what's wrong?" he said. "Is she okay?"

"I guess, yes, considering what happened," Janet said.

"You are driving me crazy," Owen was exasperated. "Just tell me, please."

"Mr. Hunt, she had a miscarriage. I am so sorry," Janet finally said. Owen's mouth dropped open. A miscarriage? This was something he had not expected. They didn't even know that they were pregnant and they already lost their baby.

"Where is she?" Owen's voice cracked. He wanted to be with her, so badly.

"She's in 211. They are going to discharge her," Janet said. "I just saw her. I was going to take her home but I suppose you would want to do that, since you are here."

"Yes, I will. Thank you, Janet, for everything," Owen said, gratefully.

"Oh, it's nothing. She's my friend. I would do a lot of things for her," Janet said. "I am going to head home. Waiting rooms can be exhausting. Please call me when you get home."

"I will," Owen said. Janet watched as he walked to Room 211. He gently knocked on the door before he entered. Cristina's body was turned away from him.

"Cristina," he whispered. She turned around. Her face was puffy and tears were streaming down her face.

"I lost our baby, Owen," she sobbed.

"I know, I know," he said. He got in next to her and pulled her close to him. "It's okay."

"The thing is I didn't even know I was pregnant and I don't know why I am crying like this. I didn't even know about it," she said.

"I think you're crying about what could have been," he said. "The potential of it all. I am sad, too, that we lost our baby."

"When did you hear that I was here?" she asked. "I thought you would have come earlier."

"I would have. I would have, baby. But Denise didn't call me when the ambulance took you to the hospital. She only told me when I came back from my meetings," Owen said. "I really can't blame her. To her, I am just your supervisor. If she had known that we were together, she would have known to call me, immediately."

"I guess that is one disadvantage of keeping it a secret," she said.

"Well, I don't know if it is a secret, any longer. You did leave the office in a very public way plus I flew out of there like a bat out of hell to come to you," he said. "I am pretty sure that Denise already figured it out and has told all of her cronies."

"Oh," Cristina said. Just then, the door opened. An older woman stepped inside. Owen immediately jumped out of the bed, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I am Dr. Fields," the woman said. "I guess you are aware that Cristina had a miscarriage. It was a complete miscarriage. We didn't have to do a D & C. We are going to discharge you, Cristina. You do have someone to support you over the next few days? It is an emotionally trying time."

"Yes," Owen piped up, immediately. "I will be there."

"Good," Dr. Fields said. "Here is what you can expect. You will probably continue to have some bleeding. It will probably continue for about a week. You will get some cramping. Also your period should return in three to six weeks. To prevent infection, I am going to give you a course of antibiotics. Use only sanitary pads, no tampons. No douching, swimming pools, hot tubs. Take showers. No sex until maybe two, three weeks after. I am going to give you a note for a couple of weeks off. You can always contact me if you need more."

"Okay," Owen said. He figured that sex was the last thing Cristina would want to think about after the miscarriage. The doctor signed the discharge papers and as she left, she said, "I am sorry, Cristina, that this happened to you. But you're only 24. You will have other babies. I am going to send an attendant in with the wheelchair so he can take you out."

Cristina got up and started taking off the hospital gown. "Can you hand me my clothes?" she asked Owen. Owen stared at the bloody clothes and felt dismayed that she would have to wear that again.

"Tell you what," he said. "I will go to the hospital store and get you a big t-shirt. You can't wear those again." He rushed to the gift shop and got an extra-large t-shirt that read St Luke's Hospital.

"Here, wear this," he said. "It will fit you like a dress." She took off the gown and slipped on the t-shirt. Her tiny body was swimming in it but at least everything was covered. Owen found a bag and put her bloody suit in it. He didn't think that she would want to wear that suit, again. "Do you want this?" he asked.

"No," she said. "It would just remind me of the day I lost our baby. You can toss it." He nodded. "I will take this out and bring round the car to the front and wait for you there." He left the room and threw the bag into a trash can right outside of the hospital. He brought round the car and waited for the attendant to bring her out. When she did, he helped her get into the passenger seat.

"Let's go home," she said, as she strapped herself in. When they got to her house, she went straight to her bedroom at the top of the stairs and went to her bed and just lay there.

"I am going to get us some dinner and I am going home to get some clothes, so I can stay here for a few days," he said. "If you need anything while I am out, call me, please."

"Okay," he heard her small voice say. He sighed. She was not taking this well. He hoped she would not get too depressed about it.

"Bye, baby," he said. "Bye," she answered.

He returned about an hour later. He had gone back to his apartment and packed enough clothes for a week. Cristina was not going to work for a while. Thankfully, it was only two days before the weekend. He could stay home with her over the next few days and then, go back to work on Monday. Then he stopped off at a Thai place and picked up some takeout. Cristina loved shrimp pad thai. Maybe, she would enjoy that, he thought. When he got back to the house and went up the stairs, he found her asleep. She had changed into her own nightshirt and discarded the St Luke's t-shirt on the floor. He didn't blame her. It was just another reminder. He picked up the shirt and threw it away. It had already served its purpose.

He went back downstairs, found Janet's number on Cristina's phone and called her. "Cristina!" Janet said. "Are you okay?"

"Um, Janet, it's me, Owen. We're home and she is asleep. I am going to stay here for the next few days to make sure she's alright," Owen said. "I think physically, she is okay but emotionally, she is pretty down."

"I am glad you're there for her," Janet said. "Today was a very trying day. I will pass by tomorrow, after work. Are you coming in?"

"No, I think I will take the next two days off and stay with her," Owen said. "Then we have the weekend, so that makes it easier. I will go back to work on Monday."

"Alright, bye," Janet said. She hung up the phone. Mr. Hunt was really a great guy. No matter how much Cristina fought it, Janet was sure that her friend was going to fall in love with him.

Later that evening, he warmed up some of the take out and brought it up for her. She was awake, watching cartoons. "Hey," he said. "Did you get a good rest?"

"Yes," she said. He placed the bed tray in front of her with the shrimp pad thai with some iced tea. "Here is your dinner." She stabbed at the food with her fork, swirling it around a bit, before she finally put a forkful in her mouth. He watched her eat, as she finished off the plate. He was glad that at least, she still had her appetite.

"Do you want me to stay with you, tonight? Or could I just sleep in one of the bedrooms on the second floor?" he asked.

"Stay with me," she said. "Okay," he said. Later that night, as he held her in arms, he could feel her shaking. He knew she was sobbing, again.

"Cristina," he whispered, as he buried his face into her hair.

"I think it is all of the pregnancy hormones," she squeaked. "I am very emotional. I am sorry for all of the crying."

"Cristina, you are allowed to cry," he said, turning her around to face him. "We lost our baby. It is an emotional thing."

"Even if we didn't know about him?" Cristina said.

"Even if," he said. Owen found himself, shedding a few tears, too, as he pulled her closer to him. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

He had only planned to stay for one week but he found himself staying the entire two weeks of her medical leave. Though he went back to work, he always came back in the evening to stay with her. She was prone to burst into tears at any minute, when she thought about the lost baby. He would rock her in his arms, until she stopped. He was her rock and her anchor, while she was in this depressed state.

On the day she went back to work after her leave, they went into the office, together. There was no need to pretend anymore. Everyone knew that they were a couple. People gave them sympathetic looks as they walked past them. He dropped her off at her office before he went to his own. A lot of the women passed in and told her they were sorry. Some of the guys brought flowers. They found themselves unable to express what they wanted to say so they brought flowers. It was not as bad as she thought it would be. At the end of the day, he took her home.

She watched as he packed his clothes to go back to his apartment. As he packed them, he wanted her to ask him to stay but she didn't say anything. She was sad to see him go and wanted him to stay but she refrained herself from saying it. Half his time here in San Francisco was already over and there was no need for her to get even more attached to him, than she already was.

"Okay, so I am gone," he said, as he started to leave. "So you're going to be okay?" She nodded. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. They had not been intimate since the miscarriage and he hoped the time was coming when she would allow him to make love to her, again.

He lay on his bed, that night, staring at the ceiling, wishing he was still at the Victorian house, holding her in his arms. She lay on her bed, that night, missing the warmth of his embrace. They missed sharing the same bed, so much.

They continued seeing each other, like they did, before the miscarriage. He would come over and they would have dinner, together and watch a movie. He would stay over, sometimes, but other times, he did not. The day they made love again was one he had been hoping for. He so missed it but he hadn't wanted to rush her into it. And when they did, he was very gentle with her. After, as she lay in his arms, resting her head on his chest, she murmured, "Do you want to stay?"

"What? What did you say? If I want to stay? Yeah, I am staying over, tonight," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"No, I don't mean just tonight. I mean do you want to stay here, for the rest of your time in San Francisco?" she said, softly.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" he said, the happiness in his voice was evident.

"Yeah, if you want to," she said, looking up at him.

"Yes, yes, yes, I want to move in with you," he said. "Oh, I want to be with you, all of the time. I have to tell the company I will be vacating the apartment, though."

"Will you miss your city view from high above?" she asked.

"Your city view from your bedroom is just as awesome. You're here, that's the best thing. No sky-high city view could ever compare," he said, as he pulled her up to kiss her. He almost told her how much he loved her but it wasn't fair to say that, he thought. Their time together was limited and he didn't want it to hurt any more than it would, when they would have to separate.

After their kiss, she snuggled against him, once again. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. She knew that she had broken her first rule that she had decreed, when she started this relationship. She had fallen in love.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate when you take the time to let me know what you think.**


	11. Chapter 11 Owen's birthday

It was about six weeks after the miscarriage. Owen had moved in to the Victorian house, soon after Cristina invited him to stay, so he had been living there about three weeks now. He didn't really have much to pack because all he had with him when he came to San Francisco was his clothes. It was just going to be a temporary assignment and he didn't bring much. All of his personal belongings and furniture were at his Upper East Side apartment in New York.

He had completed the 16th week of his six month assignment. Though he was enjoying his time in San Francisco and especially spending it with Cristina, he was becoming even more anxious when he realized that his time in the west coast city was getting shorter and shorter. He counted out the weeks left on the calendar they had up in the kitchen. He had about 10 weeks left on this assignment. He noted that his birthday was this week. He was turning 30 on Saturday. He didn't mention it to anyone because he didn't want to make a big fuss and it didn't seem like the right time to celebrate, so soon after Cristina's miscarriage.

He turned around, when he heard the click of her high heels on the floor tiles. He put out his hand for her, so she would come to him. She did, as he wanted, as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said. He felt so loved in her arms. It was the best feeling in the world.

"Good morning, handsome," she answered. "What are you looking at on the calendar?"

"Nothing, really," he said. He turned around and pulled her into his arms. "Ready to head out to work? We'll pick up coffee and sandwiches at Starbucks."

"Okay," she said. He released her to go get his briefcase. She looked at the calendar and smiled. She knew exacatly what he was looking at. It was his birthday on Saturday. He hadn't mentioned anything to her because she knew that he didn't want her to make a big fuss. He probably didn't think it was okay to celebrate his birthday, so soon after the miscarriage, she had surmised.

She had found out that it was his birthday when she had dug into his wallet to get money to pay the pizza delivery guy. She looked at his New York driver's licence and had seen the date. She had made a mental note about it, then, because his birthday was falling in the time he was going to be on the west coast. Little did he know that she was planning something special for his birthday. She had to work out several things first this week but she knew what she was going to do. Her thoughts were interrupted by Owen, coming back into the kitchen.

"Got my briefcase," he said. "Let's go." They headed down to the basement where they got into his car and they took off to go to work.

Later at lunchtime, he popped into her office. "Do you want to have lunch with me?" he asked. "My treat."

"Sorry, I have a lunchtime meeting with Janet," she said. He looked disappointed. "You know I will more than make up for it, tonight."

"Promise?" he said with a grin.

"Promise. You can count on me," she said, smiling back. He left her office to go order himself some lunch, while she grabbed her notebook and ran to Janet's office.

She opened Janet's door, pulled a chair next to Janet and sat down, eagerly.

"So where are we with Operation Birthday?" Cristina asked.

"Well, I managed to get us plane tickets for Saturday noon. I also made our room reservations. They're allowing us to check in as soon as we get there, even though check in time is normally 3 p.m. I mentioned Louis' name and they acquiesced," Janet said. "I didn't know that Louis was so influential in Las Vegas."

At the mention of Louis' name, Cristina gave her friend a quizzical look. "You don't mind, do you?"

"About what?" Janet responded, looking up from her notes.

"About Louis. After all, you and he spent a night of passion, together," Cristina said, grinning.

"So we had a one-night stand. Big deal," Janet said. "Almost everyone has had a one-night stand at one time or the other."

"Well, actually not me," Cristina replied. "My one-night stand turned out to be a relationship."

"Well, you're the lucky one," Janet said. "I have had a lot of one-night stands and none of them turned out to be a relationship. Just a roll in the hay." She was rather wistful when she said it, so Cristina knew that her lack of a steady relationship did bother Janet a bit.

"Don't worry, Janet," Cristina said. "Your person is still out there." She gave her friend's hand a tight squeeze. Janet gave her a grateful look.

"Let's get back to the birthday party planning," Janet said. "I can't let you wallow with me in my pity party."

"Well, Louis and I had a great conversation this morning. He gave me a list of names and phone numbers of Owen's college buddies who live in the California/Nevada area and between him and me, we are going to invite them and their significant others to come to the party," Cristina said. "So we're both working on that, right now."

"So, I know we can't occupy the whole place because Louis still has to make money for the night," Janet said.

"Yeah, he is just cordoning off the VIP area so it will be for Owen's party," Cristina replied. "Louis is turning out to be quite a friend."

"He really does seem like a nice guy," Janet said, wistfully.

"Well, maybe you and he – a little something something could happen there," Cristina said.

"Oh, I am not getting my hopes up," Janet said. "Louis is the kind of guy who can get a lot of girls, because he is good-looking plus the job that he has. I am pretty sure Louis has had a lot more one-night stands, since me. I am being realistic about it, even though I kinda like the guy."

"Yeah, okay," Cristina agreed. She knew that no matter what her friend said, she did have a soft spot for Louis.

* * *

Saturday morning found Owen and Cristina sleeping in. While Owen had retired early the night before, she had stayed up and quietly packed his and her carry-on luggage and placed them in the trunk of his car. When they woke up around 9.30, she told him that she was taking him to brunch. It was a birthday brunch but she never mentioned that it was. It was at the brunch she suddenly mentioned that she and Janet had planned a spa getaway and were leaving at noon.

"What?" Owen could not believe this. She was leaving him on his birthday, not that she knew it was his birthday.

"Yeah, I am sorry that I forgot to mention this. Could you just drop me off at the airport?" she said, looking at her watch.

"Don't you have to pack an overnight bag?" he asked.

"Oh, I did that, already," she said. "It's in the trunk. Let's go. I don't want to miss the flight." Owen was glum as he drove her to the airport. He was going to spend the rest of his birthday, totally alone. Maybe he should have mentioned it to her that it was his birthday and she wouldn't be going on this spa getaway.

When they got to the airport and he went to take out her luggage from out of the trunk, it was then that he noticed there were two carry-ons. Cristina did not need all of those clothes for a one-nighter away.

"Two?" he queried, as he took out the two pieces of luggage.

"Yes, one for me and one for you," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"We're going somewhere?" he asked. She was not leaving him on his birthday, he realized. Oh, what joy, he thought.

"Yup, happy birthday, Owen," she said, as she gave him a kiss on the lips.

"You knew all along," he said, happily. "Where are we going?"

"Well, we are going to meet up with Janet and we're heading to Vegas to meet up with Louis," Cristina said. She failed to mention that it was not only going to be Louis but all of his college buddies from the west coast.

"So this is my birthday celebration – a trip to Vegas," he said. "Thank you, Cristina. I haven't seen Louis since – you know when." He gave her a tight hug.

They met up with Janet at the terminal gate and then they all headed to Vegas and checked into their hotel. Cristina and Owen collapsed on their huge, comfy, luxurious bed.

"This bed is awesome," Cristina said. He gave her a wicked look. She knew exactly what that meant. He wanted to make love. "Okay, mister, come at me with all you got." He rolled on top of her, as they began kissing furiously, pulling off pieces of clothing, until they were bare. Since they both wanted each other, there was very little ceremony as he quickly entered her, over and over again, until they both climaxed with a grunt from him and a scream from her.

As they lay naked in each other's arms, he realized that he didn't really need to come to Vegas for his birthday celebration. Being at home, making love to her would have been enough. But he was really pleased that she went to all of this trouble for him. God, he loved this woman but yet, he couldn't say it.

"Let's take a nap so we can make it through the night," Cristina said. "You know how Louis loves to party and the two of us are hardly what we call the partying type."

"I couldn't agree with you, more," Owen said, as they both settled in for their naps.

They got up, much later, feeling very refreshed. They each took a bath, ordered room service, watched a movie on television until it was about 10 p.m. before they went to meet Janet at her room. Then, they headed up the rooftop nightclub. Janet's heart was beating fast, when they spotted Louis at the bar.

"Welcome, welcome," Louis said. "Happy birthday, Owen." The two friends hugged. He gave Cristina a kiss on the cheek. "Good to see you, Cristina." Then, he kissed Janet on the cheek. "So I hear your name is Janet and not Celine." Janet blushed.

"Yes," she said, softly. She was feeling quite embarrassed. This man had known her in the most intimate way and he was now finding out that her real name was Janet. She now understood how Cristina had felt those months ago in Owen's office, when her true identity was revealed.

"Come, we are going to the VIP area," Louis said.

"The VIP area? You didn't have to do all of that, Louis," Owen said. "The four of us at a corner table would have been enough for me."

The VIP area was cordoned off and semi-tented. When Louis removed the velvet rope cordoning off the area and Owen entered, there was a loud shout of "surprise" from all who had gathered there. Owen was shocked. He was beyond shocked as he saw these familiar faces, all a bit older, now but he recognized them all.

"Oh, my God, I haven't seen you guys in years," Owen said. Everyone came up and slapped him on his back and offered their birthday greetings. "Tony, Ronnie, Michael, Shawn..." Fifteen of Owen's classmates were there. As he caught up with his old friends, Cristina and Janet found themselves a corner table, as they watched Owen chatting animatedly with his college buddies. Once or twice he looked around to make sure he knew where Cristina was, shooting a smile in her direction. He looked happy and she was elated that she was able to do this for him. After an hour or so catching up with his friends, Owen joined them at their table, giving her a huge smack on the lips.

"How did you do this, baby?" he said.

"Well, it was a collaboration of myself, Janet and Louis," Cristina said. "But of course, Louis did most of the event work. He gave me the list of your friends living in the California/Nevada area and both of us started calling. Everybody said they would come, since it wasn't only your birthday but a reunion, too."

"This is just beyond marvelous," he said, as he sat next to her and pulled her close to him. He almost said he loved her but he stopped himself. Louis came and joined the three of them and they all started to chat. Janet, who was at first, all nervous, seemed to relax as Louis' charm won her over, as it did the first night they had met.

"I am going to the restroom," Cristina said. "Janet, do you want to come?" Janet nodded and the two ladies got up and left. Owen stared at Cristina's retreating figure with an adoring look on his face.

"You've got it bad," Louis told him.

"Is it so obvious?" Owen said. "I can't help it."

"You have fallen in love. What happens when you leave in how many weeks?" Louis asked him.

"The thing is I have never felt like this before," Owen said. "Not for any of my girlfriends. I am leaving in nine weeks and when I do, it is going to be so bad for the both of us."

"So why don't you ask her to go with you?" Louis said. The solution seemed simple enough to him.

"I can't," Owen said. "Her roots are clearly here. Her parents live in San Jose, she has this beautiful Victorian home in Pacific Heights. She has a life here."

"Then why don't you stay?" Louis said.

"I have a life there. I grew up on the east coast, my whole family is there. Plus I am probably going to get a promotion, once I finish my stint here," Owen said. "It will mean serious career advancement."

"Well, it is your choice to make, my friend," Louis said. "This may be your one true love. The one that you have been searching for, all of these years." Owen sighed.

In the luxurious restroom, Cristina sat on the couch while Janet refreshed her makeup.

"So are you going to spend the night with him, Janet?" Cristina asked, teasingly.

"I don't know," Janet said. "He just makes me feel so relaxed. He is so charming and handsome but I am not sure I want to subject myself to another one-nighter. I want to be like you – in a relationship."

"You don't want to be like me. My relationship ends in nine weeks," Cristina said, sadly.

"But you love him. I know you do," Janet said. "Admit it."

"I do," Cristina admitted. "But I can't hold him back. He is probably going to get a big promotion, once he finishes here."

"He could be your one true love," Janet insisted.

"Maybe but I am going to let him go. I don't want him resenting me by begging him to stay," Cristina said. "I want him to be successful and happy."

"Maybe his happiness is you," Janet said, wisely. Cristina stared at her friend, not knowing what else to say.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thank you for your thoughts. I do appreciate when you take the time to let me know what you think.**


	12. Chapter 12 Goodbye

They had come back to San Francisco, each of them feeling that it had been a most successful outing. Janet, in particular, was proud of herself that she had not succumbed to temptation and had not slept with Louis, that night, even though he nearly charmed her dress off her, once again. She turned him down but gave him her phone number and told him to call her, if he was interested. She had given him the opportunity to take the next step, without making herself look needy.

Cristina was pleased that they had managed to plan a very great surprise birthday party. They had pulled it off, without Owen even suspecting anything. Owen was happy for his mini-reunion with his college classmates. It made him even more aware of how much Cristina cared about him to have done this for him. He loved her so and it seemed to him that maybe, she felt the same way.

For the next few weeks after the party, they were a picture of domestic bliss. They went to work together and came home together, where they would have their dinner, watch television and then go to bed for the night. It didn't take much for them to be happy. They were just glad to be with each other, especially with their impending separation deadline hanging over them. Still, neither of them ever told the other what they felt about each other.

It was about seven weeks after the party in Vegas when he got the email from Human Resources in New York. As he read the email, he was most excited. He was being offered a Divisional Manager position, when he returned to the New York head office. The first person he automatically called was Cristina.

"Hey," he said. "Can you come to my office?"

"Sure," she answered. "I will be there in three minutes. I am just wrapping up this report, here. Is that okay?"

"Yes," he said. "Come as soon as you are done." True to her word, she showed up three minutes later, with her notebook in her hand. He observed the notebook and said, "Oh, I didn't call you as your supervisor."

"Oh, okay," she said, putting down the notebook on his desk. "What's up?"

"I just got an email from HR. I have been offered the position of divisional manager at New York head office," he said.

She came and gave him a hug. "That's great," she said. "I am so happy for you." The fact that he was being offered a promotion made it even clearer to her that he was leaving soon. "I think we should go out and celebrate your promotion."

"We don't have to," he said. "We can go home and have a quiet dinner."

"Yeah but we do that, every night," she said. "Let's go out, tonight. This deserves a celebration."

"Okay," he said. "You choose the place." She agreed. "Will that be all?" she asked. "I just need to get back to some work." He nodded. She left his office, with a heavy heart. She hadn't lied; she was happy for him. She was just sad for herself. He was leaving her and very soon, too. She had to prepare herself for his departure.

She went back to her office, closed the door behind her and slumped in her chair. She put her head on her desk, as she cried. There was a loud knock on the door and Janet came waltzing in.

"You wouldn't believe it, Cristina!" Janet exclaimed. "He called me!" Cristina looked up; her face was wet with tears.

"Hey, hey," Janet said, coming around to Cristina's side of the desk. "What's the matter, honey?"

"He's leaving very soon," Cristina said. "Now I am sure of it. HR just sent him an email, saying that when he gets back to New York, he will be placed as a divisional manager. It is something he can't turn down, right?"

Janet hugged her friend, as Cristina rested her head against her. "But you know it was going to happen," Janet said.

"I know but knowing that doesn't mean that it is going to hurt any less," Cristina whimpered. "He'll be gone in two weeks and I will be left all alone."

"I know, sweetie," Janet said. "Cry it out. Maybe it will make you feel better." She held her friend, until Cristina stopped crying.

"I am okay," Cristina said. "I have to be okay. We're going out tonight to celebrate his promotion. I have to put on a brave face."

"Oh, Cristina," Janet said, sympathetically. "I know it is going to be hard but it is going to be okay. I will be here."

"Thanks, Janet. You came in here to tell me something great before I started bringing you down with all of my weeping," Cristina said. "What was it?"

"Well, our good friend from Vegas just called me to see how I was doing," Janet responded with extreme glee. "He said he was coming to San Francisco and if I was free for dinner, while he was here."

"Louis? He called!" Cristina said. "That is wonderful, Janet. It certainly took him long enough."

"Yeah, seven weeks," Janet noted. "But given his lifestyle, it probably was hard for him to even consider a relationship."

"The fact that he called you is a step in the right direction, I think," Cristina said. "I am happy for you, Janet. I hope it works out for you."

"Well, it is very early days, so we will see," Janet replied with a huge grin. "He's coming this weekend."

"I guess he will probably want to hang out with Owen, too," Cristina thought. "Is he coming on Friday? Is that when you have your dinner date?"

Janet nodded in the affirmative. "Well, maybe you two can come around to the house on Saturday night for dinner and spend it with Owen and me for a bit," Cristina suggested. "Owen would like that."

"I was hoping you would ask that," Janet said. "Another reason to spend some more time with him. Thanks, Cristina."

"It's okay," Cristina said.

Back in his office, Owen was sitting there, pondering his departure in two weeks. He got up and stared out of his window, when his phone rang. He answered, "Owen Hunt."

"Hey, buddy, it's me," a familiar voice responded.

"Hey, Louis. How ya going? Got some great news," Owen replied. "As I mentioned to you, the promotion came through. I have been promoted to divisional manager."

"Congratulations, Owen. That's great. Well, my timing couldn't be better. I am coming to San Francisco for this weekend and I thought I would check up on you and Cristina," Louis said.

"Yeah, that would be wonderful. Maybe you can come across to our place on Saturday for dinner. When will you get here?" Owen asked.

"Friday but I have a dinner date with Janet," Louis said.

"What? An actual dinner date," Owen said, the mirth in his voice was clearly evident.

"Yeah, I am seeing whether this could work out," Louis replied. "I really do like the girl." Owen laughed. "Well, okay then, see you this weekend," he said before he hung up.

* * *

On Saturday night, Cristina cooked a roast with vegetables, rice and potatoes, while Owen laid out the settings for four. Cristina brought out the food and put them out on the table. Then, they heard the doorbell.

"Right on time," Cristina said. She went and opened the door to reveal a very happy Louis and Janet. "Hey, guys," she said. "Good to see you." They came in with Louis and Janet, both giving Cristina a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, buddy," Owen said, as he and Louis hugged. "Great that you all can make it. Seems things are going well."

"Yes, they are," Louis admitted. "Janet and I had a wonderful date, last night."

"Did you spend the night alone in your hotel?" Owen whispered, watching Janet follow Cristina to the dining room.

"I did," Louis said. "We're taking things a little slow, even though we already slept with each other, once before. How did you and Cristina do it?"

"Oh, we didn't fall into bed, right away. In fact, she just wanted to keep everything professional and then, when we realized we were only fooling ourselves because we wanted to be with each other. Our first date, we just attacked each other," Owen said. "We had no self-restraint."

"So you have a week again here. So how are things?" Louis asked, patting his friend on his back.

"It's hard," Owen admitted. "She doesn't want to talk about it. She is just pretending like everything is normal, when we both know that it is not."

"I keep asking – why don't you take her with you?" Louis said. "You love the girl."

"She hasn't expressed any interest in going with me. Plus have you seen this house," Owen said, looking around.

"Yes, I have. I must admit it is one of the most gorgeous Victorian houses I have ever seen. It is so well preserved," Louis said. "It is fully detached so there is a lot of light. This house is a multi-million dollar house."

"Yes, she loves this house," Owen said. "I can't take her away from this house." Louis shook his head.

"Come on, guys," Cristina called out from the dining room. The two men acquiesced to her request and went to the dining room.

* * *

For the last week of Owen's stint in San Francisco, he began wrapping up his work. He passed on projects, still in progress, to other managers. He cleaned up his desk and as he packed away his boxes, he was becoming more depressed. Cristina, he thought, seemed to have accepted his imminent departure and was acting quite normal. Why wasn't she as broken up about it as he was? He was dying on the inside and she didn't seem to care that he was leaving.

But he was wrong. Cristina did care. She cared quite a lot. She was putting on a brave façade so that he wouldn't feel bad about leaving her. When she was alone in her office, she would cry by herself. When it was time to face him, she would dry her tears and pretend everything was alright. At the farewell party the office held for him, she smiled and laughed because she knew everyone was looking at her to see how she would react. After an hour of fake smiling and laughing, she had gone into the bathroom and cried. Only Janet was with her, as she sobbed uncontrollably.

He got up early on Saturday, the day he was supposed to leave. He was taking an early flight and had packed the night before. He was surprised that Cristina was not next to him. She was already up, it seemed. He got up, took a shower, brushed his teeth, dressed and headed down to the kitchen. She was there and had made him breakfast. They didn't say much to each other during breakfast. They had already decided that it would be best to end the relationship and they would not be contacting each other. Truth be told, he hadn't decided that. That was Cristina's decision.

He looked at his watch and realized it was time to go. He put his luggage in the trunk of her car and they headed to the airport. He checked in his baggage before they headed to the security line.

"Well, I guess this is it," he said. She nodded, not looking up. He put his thumb under her chin and pushed up her face to look at him. He gently kissed her, which quickly deepened as their kisses became more urgent and desperate. Then he stopped as he realized she was crying. This was the first time that she had broken down in front of him.

"Oh, Cristina," he said, as he pulled her close to him in a tight hug. He stroked her head as she cried on his chest. He couldn't help the tears, himself. He found it hard to let her go. She finally pulled away and told him he had to go. He brushed away the tears from her face before he found himself in the security line. Halfway up the security line, he was tempted to turn back but when he looked around, she was gone.

Cristina had gone running to her car in the parking lot. She got in the car and rested her head against the steering wheel, as she let out a heart-wrenching wail. She pounded the steering wheel in frustration and sadness. She drove home with tears still streaming down her face. Her heart was broken.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments. Thank you for leaving your thoughts. I do appreciate when you take the time to leave a review.**


	13. Chapter 13 New York, New York

Cristina filled her days with lots and lots of work, exceling in all aspect of her job. Her efforts had not gone unnoticed, as the senior managers noted her dedication and drive. Little did they know that her industriousness at work was fueled by a loneliness that had gripped her soul. While she was productive and brilliant by day, she was a weeping mess at night, crying for the man she loved and missed. Only Janet knew about Cristina's tortured nights.

Like Cristina, Owen, too, buried himself in his new position. He was now divisional head and had about 300 employees under him. It was a huge step in career advancement. He worked hard and long hours, just so that he would not think about what he left behind in San Francisco. But it was at night when his memories would haunt him. His sleep was restless as he often dreamed with of the petite, Asian woman with the shiny head of dark curls. He would wake up and say her name in a desperate tone. He missed her so much.

Two months had passed and they still had not gotten over each other. They found themselves unable to move on.

* * *

Cristina was working on a report, when she was given an urgent call from Mr. Morrison's secretary, Laraine, to come to his office. When she got there, Laraine said, "Go right in, Cristina."

Mr. Morrison looked up from his computer. "Ah, Cristina, good of you to come." Given that she was literally summoned to his office, Cristina thought she really didn't have a choice. "Please have a seat, Cristina." She was a little nervous. What could this be about? She wondered if she had done anything wrong. She racked her brain, trying to remember. She must have had a worried expression because Mr. Morrison said, "Don't worry, Cristina. You haven't done anything wrong." She was relieved.

"So why am I here, Mr. Morrison?" she asked.

"Well, some of the senior managers, including myself, would like to compliment you on your brilliant work, over the last few months. Even Mr. Hunt left a glowing assessment of your work before he left. Now we could probably take Mr. Hunt's assessment with a grain of salt, given your personal relationship. But since he was not alone in his assessment, we would have to say that he was speaking the truth. This is why that we have chosen you to attend the young managers' training program at the New York office," Morrison said.

"Me?" Cristina said, in disbelief.

"Yes, you seem surprised. Anyway, it was decided at a meeting among some of the senior managers that you will be our representative at the program," Morrison said. "It starts in one week, so you need to get your affairs in order, before you leave. Perhaps find someone to housesit and take steps to ensure that your bills are being paid, while you are away for three months."

"Yes, sir," she said. This was very exciting news but while it was an amazing opportunity, there was one thing that made her feel wary about the situation. The program will be held in New York and Owen was in New York. She wasn't sure she wanted to face him again and have all those feelings come back, especially since she would be leaving in three months when the program was over. "Thank you, sir. What about my living arrangements while I am in New York?"

"Well, there will be six of you in the program. One from each of the regional offices. The one chosen from New York obviously lives there, already, but the rest of you will be placed in company apartments in New York. The women will share one apartment and the men will share the another apartment. Does that sound reasonable?" Morrison said.

"Yes, sir, that is fine," Cristina said. "I guess I better start wrapping up my work here before I leave and find a house-sitter. Thank you, sir."

She left the office and headed straight to Janet's office. She gave a brief knock before she went in. "Janet, I have some wonderful news. Morrison just told me that I was chosen for the young managers' program in New York."

"Wow," Janet said. "I always wanted to go on that but I was never chosen. Good for you. However, you do realize that it is in New York and you know who lives in Manhattan."

"Yes, I am aware of that but the chances of running into him should be slim. He would be on a totally different floor from us plebes in the training program," Cristina said, but without much conviction to her words. Janet shook her head because Cristina seemed to be in denial.

"So what I have come here to ask you is if you would like to housesit for me?" Cristina continued.

"House-sit your gorgeous home? Certainly," Janet said. "At least I would be able to get away from my parents for a bit." Janet still lived with her parents because housing in San Francisco was so expensive. She lived in the guest house at the back of their house, while still paying a very low rent.

"Thanks," Cristina said. "And you will remember to take care of all of the plants."

"Yes, yes," Janet said. "Thank God you don't have a dog. That would be so much extra work. So when do you leave?"

"In a week's time," Cristina said. "It will be an amazing opportunity. I have not been to the east coast since my college days."

"Well, given that you graduated from college a little under three years ago, you should still remember everything," Janet said.

"Well, I gotta go. Have to start wrapping up everything," Cristina said, as she turned to leave. Even though she was excited for this opportunity, she was still worried about running into Owen. She made up her mind. Even if she ran into him, she was not going to get involved with him, again. There was too much pain and heartache, when he left two months ago, and she could not go through that again. She was going to keep him at arm's length, so much so, that she was not going to tell him that she would be coming to New York. Yes, she thought, that would be better for her.

* * *

A week later, Cristina found herself in the lobby of the Woolmers' headquarters in midtown Manhattan. She was there with three young men and a young woman. They were all about 24, 25 years old. The young woman was Sasha Moncrief and was her roommate. They had met the day before when she arrived at the apartment the company had provided for them. Sasha was from the Houston office. The young men were Alan Cranston, Javier Velasquez and Richard Lawrence. Alan was from Seattle, Javier was from Miami and Richard was from Chicago. The three young men were staying in an apartment that was adjacent to her and Sasha's apartment. They knew the last person in the program was from the New York office – they only knew her name was Penny Standish.

A young woman with coppery waves came up to them, "Hi guys, I am Penny Standish, I am the New York representative in the program. Since I am the one from here, they decided that I am the one to give you a tour of the place, so I am just taking you up to the conference room first. Can everyone introduce themselves and which office they are from?" Each of the young men and women did so.

"So follow me," Penny said, as she took them to the elevator. She pressed the call button, while they all waited.

Owen was now coming into office, as he had an earlier meeting downtown and had gone straight to the meeting. He was reading his paper and having a cup of coffee, as he headed to the elevator. He heard the ding of the elevator and looked up to see a group of young men and women, heading into the elevator. It was then he saw the flash of ebony curls. He knew immediately who the person was, who possessed those curls. He ran to catch the elevator but the doors closed before he got there. He frantically pressed the call button for an elevator to get there. He needed to find out what she was doing there because even though he didn't see the person's face, he knew that hair. He could remember running his fingers through her hair, while she slept. He had always marveled at its silkiness and softness.

The elevator took forever to get there, or at least Owen thought so. He got in the elevator, pressed the button for his floor and literally ran to his plush office. He thought about how to find her. She was with other young people, some of whom he did not recognize at all. It dawned on him that they were here for the young managers' training program. He knew about the program because he had gone through it himself, when he was younger. He buzzed his administrative assistant, Renee, to call the head of HR, Tony Jacobson. His phone buzzed to indicate that Jacobson was on the line.

"Hey, Tony, thanks for talking to me," Owen said, after he picked up the receiver.

"No problem, Owen, how can I help you?" Tony asked.

"I saw some young people get into the elevator this morning and I thought I spotted someone I know. Are they here for the young managers' program?" Owen asked, hoping he was sounding nonchalant.

"Yeah, we're starting the program, today," Tony confirmed. "What was the name of the person? I will check the list for you." Owen could hear Tony tapping the keys on his computer.

"Her name is Cristina Yang. I worked with her while I was at the San Francisco office," Owen said.

"Doing a little bit of scrolling here. Yes, Cristina is here. I am looking at her file, now. Impressive young lady," Tony said. "She had awesome reviews, including one from you, it looks like."

"Yes, she is an extremely competent young woman," Owen said. "Thanks. Where is the program behind held?"

"Well, the initiation is on this morning in the Conference Room on the 12th floor. They will be there for just this week and then they will be spread throughout the company for the rest of their program. Maybe you can catch up with her in the cafeteria. They will be on break from 11.45 to 12.45."

"Thanks, Tony. Probably will do that," he said, hanging up the phone. He felt 1000 times better. His heart was singing, as was his soul. She's here, she's here, she's here, he said over and over again in his mind. Then, it hit him, Cristina had not told him that she was coming. That certainly tempered his joy a bit. Why wouldn't she tell him? Was she trying to avoid him? Or maybe she wanted to surprise him. He hoped it was the latter. He desperately hoped that was the case.

He found himself almost unable to work that morning; he was so excited. At 12 noon, he found himself in the company's cafeteria. He looked around, hoping he could spot her. Then, he saw those dark curls. She was alone at a table. He made a beeline to the table.

"Cristina," he said. She almost froze when she heard her name in that familiar voice. Her heart started to beat a little faster. She looked up and saw him there. He was handsome, as always, wearing a grey suit.

"Um, hi," she managed to get out. "How are you?" He sat down next to her. "Cristina, I am so happy to see you." He had a huge smile on his face. He was ready to pick up where they had left off.

"Likewise," she said in a non-commital tone. She was happy to see him, too but she didn't want to seem overly excited. She did not want to fall in the trap again. Seeing him go had been one of the most devastating times in her life. She had felt completely desolate, when he had left.

Owen was taken aback by her lack of enthusiasm. Here he was, so happy to see her but she wasn't reacting in the same way. "What's the matter?" he asked. She didn't quite know how to answer but she was saved by the return of her friends.

"Hey, Cristina, I got the grilled chicken and salad for you," Javier said, as he placed the plate in front of her.

"Thanks for holding the table," Alan said. "This place is like a zoo." The other young managers, with the exception of Penny, looked curiously at Owen. He could feel their eyes on him. He figured it was time to leave.

"Cristina, good to see you, again. If you wish, you can visit me on the 18th floor, any time," he said, hoping that she would take him up on that invitation.

"Yes, okay, thank you, sir," she said. As he walked away, she heard one of the young men ask, "Who's that guy?"

Before Cristina could respond, Penny answered, "That's Owen Hunt. He is one of the divisional managers. He is dreamy, isn't he?" Sasha said, "Uh-huh. The guy is hot."

Richard asked, "How do you know him, Cristina?"

"I was his assistant when he came to our offices in San Francisco for six months," she said.

As Owen walked away, listening to her describe him as just her boss hurt him deeply. "I was more than that, Cristina. I was your boyfriend, I was your lover. We shared the loss of our baby, together," he muttered under his breath. "I was much more than that." He walked away, feeling like she just stomped on his heart.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thanks. It is always good to know what you think.**


	14. Chapter 14 Her Birthday

**A/N: This is in response to "Guest" who said she was lost on my storyline. I will try and explain a few things here. They didn't talk before he left because not only do they have communication issues, they also each thought they were doing what was best for the other person by letting go. He thought she would be happier in San Francisco in her beautiful house and she thought that it would be better for him to go back to New York and get his promotion. And yes, they did decide to end it because Cristina thought it was best thing to do. Even though they decided to end it when he left, it didn't stop the feelings that they had for each other. When Owen saw Cristina in New York, he wanted to rekindle the relationship between the two of them because as I mentioned, they still had feelings for each other. Cristina, on the other hand, was a little cool to the idea because she didn't want to get hurt, again, since she knew she was leaving in three months. I hope this helps you to understand it, a little bit better.**

* * *

Cristina never made the trek to the 18th floor. He was disappointed. For days, he waited for her to show. The only time he ever saw her was in the cafeteria, where she was always with her friends. He didn't feel comfortable talking to her when the others were around. He was desperate to talk to her alone.

The intercom buzzed. "Mr. Hunt, I have Tony Jacobson on the line for you," Renee said.

"Thanks," Owen said. "Yes, Tony, what can I do for you?"

"Hey Owen, I was wondering if you can do me a favor. Can you come down and chat with the young managers about your division and what it does? I had an outside guest but he came down with the flu. I have to reschedule him for next week. I know it is short notice but I will understand if you can't do it," Tony said.

"The young managers' program? Certainly," Owen said. "I will be able to do that. What time?"

"Two in the afternoon," Tony said.

"Fine, that gives me enough time to make changes to that presentation that I did at the AGM so it is more suitable," Owen said.

"Thank you so much, Owen. I owe you big time," Tony said.

"No problem, Tony," he said, as he hung up. He had a huge smile on his face. There was no way that she was going to get out of interacting with him.

He worked through his lunch hour to whip his presentation into shape. Promptly at 1.55 p.m., he went down to the 12th floor. He met Tony Jacobson just outside of the conference room. The two men shook hands.

"Thanks, Owen, for doing this," Tony said. "Let's go in and meet them." The two men entered the conference room. While the young men were rather nonchalant about the appearance of the two men, the reactions of the three young women were interesting. Penny and Sasha perked up, immediately, when they entered, while Cristina shrunk back into her chair, hoping in vain that nobody noticed her.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Tony said. "I know that we were supposed to have an outside guest speaker but unfortunately, Mr. Raleigh came down with the flu. He has rescheduled his talk for next week. In his place, we have Mr. Owen Hunt, one of our divisional managers, who is going to talk about his division and what they do. So I leave you in good hands." He left the conference room, leaving Owen, completely in charge.

"So can you all introduce yourselves," Owen said. Penny jumped up immediately, "Penny Standish, New York office." They each introduced themselves. Cristina was the last to do so. She said, "Cristina Yang, San Francisco office."

"Yes, I know that, Cristina," he said. "Nice to meet all of you." He then settled down into his presentation and got numerous questions from the young managers, except for one person, who remained quiet throughout the entire session.

"So, Cristina, you've been very quiet. You didn't appreciate my presentation?" he asked. Her five colleagues turned to look at her.

"Yes, sir, it was very informative," she said. "I think I have a greater understanding of the work of your division."

"No, it just seemed like you weren't interested," Owen said.

"Oh, I am, sir," she said. "It's just that you have been so thorough and my colleagues have already asked the pertinent questions."

"Okay, then," he said. "Well, that concludes my presentation. I hope you all have enjoyed it." Everyone clapped to show their appreciation.

"Do you want to hold on, sir? We have a surprise for someone in the class," Javier said. "Go get it, Penny." Penny returned with a cake with lighted candles and placed it in front of Cristina. It was her birthday! He hadn't even known it was her birthday. Everyone started singing the "happy birthday" song, including Owen. Cristina blew out the candles and cut a slice of cake for everyone. When she handed him his slice, he said, "I didn't even know it was your birthday. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't matter," she said, quietly.

"Of course, it matters. You gave me a brilliant birthday party when it was my birthday. I want to do something special for you. Come to my apartment, I will cook you dinner tonight," he said. He could see the hesitation in her. "Please," he said. "It would mean so much to me."

"Okay," she said. He wrote down his address for her. "Come at 7.30," he said.

"Thanks," she said, taking the piece of paper from him. "It sure beats eating pizza with the girls tonight." He gave her a huge smile. He was happy – this was the first time that he had made a breakthrough with her. With his cake in hand, he left them and headed back to his office, planning his meal in his head.

* * *

Owen left the office, a little earlier than usual, to prepare the meal. He so wanted her back in his life, so this night had to be perfect, he thought. It was the first chance he had, since she had come to New York, to be alone with her. Her friends were always around and he couldn't really discuss his personal life, with them in the vicinity.

By 7.15, the meal was ready. He had got flowers from the corner florist and he thought he would wait until she got there before he lit the candles. All that was missing was the guest of honor. At 7.25, he got a call from the doorman that a Miss Yang was on her way up. He was getting extremely excited. At 7.30, he heard the doorbell and he was never so pleased to open a door before.

"Come in to my humble abode," he said. She was dressed in a short, strapless black dress with nude pumps. Her hair was tumbling down her shoulders. She looked lovely.

"Hi," she said. "This is no humble abode," she said. "It is a beautiful building and your apartment is gorgeous." She looked out at the expansive glass windows which looked out on the city lights. "This place must have cost a fortune."

"It probably did," he said. "But my parents gave it for me, when I graduated from college."

"That is some graduation present," she said.

"Well, I have lived in this building since I was a baby," he said. "My parents live in one of the penthouse apartments. When apartments came up for sale in the building, they bought them. I have one and so does my older brother, Oliver. He lives on a different floor with his family. His wife is Julianne and they have two kids, Max and Kelly."

"So your entire family lives in this building?" Cristina asked. He nodded. "It makes things easier for family gatherings," he laughed. "Like Christmas or Thanksgiving. We just go up to the penthouse."

"That's convenient," Cristina said. "You don't have to spend any money on traveling for the holidays."

"Hey, let me introduce you to them," he said, as he opened the door. She followed him to the elevator and he pressed the button for the penthouse floor. "They will be thrilled to meet you," he said. That made Cristina feel even more nervous. As they got out of the elevator, Owen said, "There are only two penthouses. My parents live in Penthouse A." When they got to the large, ornate door with the A on it, he rang the bell. A white-haired woman with bright blue eyes opened the door.

"Owen, what a surprise," Robin Hunt said. "Hey, mom," Owen said, kissing the woman on her cheek. "I brought someone to meet you and dad. Is dad around?"

"Yes," his mother said. "Come on in. Ollie, Owen has brought a young lady to meet us."

Owen's dad, who was out on the balcony, came into the apartment. Cristina could see that Owen looked a lot like his dad. She now knew what Owen would look like as an older man.

"Hello, Owen," his dad said as the two men hugged.

"Mom, Dad, this is Cristina Yang. Remember I told you about her – the girl from San Francisco," Owen said. Recognition came over their faces. It was clear to Cristina that Owen had indeed spoken at length about her. She felt a little self-conscious.

"You are right, son," Ollie said. "She is lovely." Cristina put out her hand to shake the older man's hand. "No, no, dear, " he said. Instead, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. So did Owen's mom.

"My mom is Robin and my dad is Oliver Hunt Sr. My brother Oliver was named after him," Owen said.

"So nice to meet the both of you," Cristina said, shyly. She wondered what Owen had told his parents about her.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Robin asked.

"No, mom. We're going back to my apartment. I made dinner for her. I just wanted her to meet you both," Owen said.

"Alright, son," Ollie said. "Now, Cristina, don't be a stranger. Please come by again. We want to get to know you better since Owen thinks so highly of you."

"Thank you but I am sure Owen was exaggerating," Cristina said.

"I don't think he was," Robin said. She followed them to the front door. "Goodbye, son. See you, Crisitna." Owen gave her another kiss on the cheek as they left. Cristina and Owen went back down to his apartment.

As soon as he got in, he lit the candles on the table. "You must be hungry."

"Starving, actually. Thank you for inviting me for dinner," she said. He pulled out the chair for her, as she sat down.

"Thought we could start with some shrimp appetizers," he said. "I know how much you love seafood."

"Yes," she admitted. He admired at how lovely her face looked in the candlelight. "It's been a long time, since we had dinner, together," he said. "I miss it." She looked over at him. "Yeah, I miss it, too."

They had a very pleasant dinner, just chatting about work and all of the things she had discovered since she has started living in New York. She said she was greatly enjoying it, as there was so much to do in New York.

By the time he served her dessert, she was fully relaxed. It seemed like old times, once again. They were talking easily to each other, like they used to do. Owen was elated; the evening was going so well.

As they sat in the living room, having coffee and chatting, he saw her take a look at her watch. He knew that meant she was thinking about leaving. But he didn't want her to leave.

"Cristina, if you wish, you can stay the night," he said, softly. She looked at him and started, "Um…" Just then, her phone rang. "Sorry, I have to take this."

He listened to her side of the conversation. All she said was "yeah" and "okay." She hung up. "I'm sorry about that. That was Penny and Sasha. They've come to pick me up. We are going to a nightclub to drink and to pick up….." Her voice trailed off, as she realized what she was going to say. Owen finished off her sentence in his mind – "to pick up guys." That hurt. That really hurt, he thought.

"Thank you for the dinner. It was very lovely," she said. "I have to leave now. Thank you, again." She quickly picked up her purse and left.

He was stunned. He was dumbfounded. This was not how he imagined the night to end. She had stomped on his heart, once again.

* * *

The next morning, he got into work, early. There was hardly anyone around. When he got to the elevator, he saw her already there. She was wearing dark glasses. It was clear she probably had a hard night at the nightclub. Again, those hurt feelings surfaced. He needed to say this. As the doors closed, he started.

"Cristina, I don't understand you," he said. "Why are you doing this? We've been given a second chance and you're pushing me away at every turn. I made dinner for you, last night. I thought we had re-connected and then, you leave to go to a bar to pick up guys. That felt like you ripped my heart out of my chest. I love you…" His voice cracked. It was the first time he ever admitted that he loved her. All those months, he wanted to tell her this and it was when he was at his lowest point, could he say it.

He was more than surprised when he found himself being pushed against the elevator wall. She took off her sunglasses and pressed her lips hard against his own. He responded, immediately, as he kissed back with equal force and intensity. Their kisses became even more frantic and desperate, as he ran his fingers through her hair. Their kiss was finally interrupted by the ding of the elevator to indicate that they had reached the 12th floor. With their lips just millimeters away from each other, she whispered, "I love you, too." With that, she put back on her sunglasses and walked away.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to leave a review.**


	15. Chapter 15 What's Next?

As the elevator headed up to the 18th floor, he could not believe that had just happened. He touched his lips. He could still feel her mouth on his. He suddenly felt a lightness of heart that he had not experienced in a while. He had come in to work, that day, feeling absolutely miserable, since their dinner date had not ended the way he wanted. Then, he finally told her that he loved her but more than that, she told him that she loved him, too. It seemed that things were finally looking up for the two of them.

Cristina went to the 12th floor conference room, still feeling bleary-eyed. She was the first one there. She kept on her sunglasses because the harsh fluorescent light in the room hurt her eyes. She also felt a throbbing in her head. She made herself a cup of coffee and sipped it, hoping that it would help to keep her awake that day. When she had left the apartment that morning, Sasha had not yet woken up. Cristina got up, took a shower, changed into a suit and walked the two blocks to the subway station to catch the train to go to work. She hadn't expected Owen to be there, that early, so it was a complete surprise to see him, when he got into the elevator next to her.

When he started telling her how he felt about their relationship and how he felt she left him last night to go out with the girls, she felt really bad about that. But it was when he said that he loved her, she could not stop herself from kissing him because she loved him, too. They had never said those words to each other, before, despite all of what they had shared, together. Yes, they loved each other but she wondered if it changed anything in their situation.

Penny strolled into the conference room. She, too, was wearing dark glasses. "Hey, Cristina," Penny said. "I see the light is hurting your eyes, too. Where's Sasha?"

"When I left the apartment, she was still sleeping. I knew I had to get up or I would never get up," Cristina said.

"Well, we did have a blast, last night. But you weren't interested in any of the guys that tried to talk to you. What gives?" Penny asked. "And there were some really cute ones."

"I guess they were," Cristina said. "But I just am not interested. Going back to San Francisco in a couple of months."

"Hey, you're not looking for a relationship or a commitment, here. Just a banging good time, emphasis on the word 'banging'," Penny said. "Who cares if you see any of these guys, again?"

"I am just not that type of girl. I have only had one one-night stand, at least what I thought was a one-night stand," Cristina admitted. She gave a little smile.

"What do you mean?" Penny asked, curious to find out.

"Well, my one-night stand eventually turned out to be a full-blown relationship," Cristina said. "So, maybe, I have never had a one-night stand."

"Girl, variety is the spice of life. A couple one-night stands never hurt anybody, once you use protection," Penny said. She got up to make herself a cup of coffee, which she badly needed.

"I guess I am just not that kind of girl," Cristina said.

Their three male colleagues came in and gave them an enquiring look. "What happened to you girls? You look terrible," Javier said. "Hard night?"

"Definitely," Penny said. Then, Sasha came through the door. She, too, was wearing dark glasses. "Please, people, not too loud, this morning. Penny, can you make me a cup, too?" Penny nodded. Sasha crashed heavily in her chair. "Hey, Cristina, you left early this morning."

"Yup," Cristina responded. "If I didn't get up, I probably wouldn't be here, this morning."

"Good morning, people," Mr. Jacobson said, as he came through the doorway. He looked at the three young women with their sunglasses on. "Drinking last night?"

"Not us," Richard said. "We were home and totally sober. The guys were the responsible ones, last night."

"We just went out for Cristina's birthday," Penny said, giving Richard a hard look.

"Ah, happy belated birthday, Ms. Yang. I trust you had a wonderful birthday celebration," Jacobson said. "I don't have much time, this morning, so let's get started. I am going to split you in pairs and over the next 10 weeks, you will be spending two weeks in each of our five major divisions. So, here are the pairs, Javier and Cristina, you will be with Mr. Colombo's division, Penny and Richard, you will be with Mr. Hunt's division, Sasha and Alan, you will be with Mrs. Miller's division. After your two weeks are over, you will move on to another division until you have completed rotations of all five divisions.

"In each rotation, you will be shadowing the head of the division for 10 days, learning about the division and seeing how decisions are made. You will, of course, be given assignments by the divisional head. I hope you will all make me proud. Today, you will go across to the division where you are assigned and start familiarizing yourself with the work of that division. Good day." He gave them a brief wave, as he left.

"Oh, my God, I get the young hottie, Hunt. He is only about 30, right? He is definitely on the fast track in this company," Penny said. "All of the other divisional heads are in their late 30's or 40's. I bet by the time Hunt hits 38, he is going to be a vice president." Cristina said nothing. The girls had asked her whom she was visiting when they picked her up at Owen's building, the night before. She had told them that she was visiting friends of her parents'. That was a lie but she could not tell them the truth about with whom she had dinner. She was actually kind of glad that she was not assigned to Owen's division first. Especially now that they had both declared their love for each other. She didn't know what was going to happen next between the two of them.

She and Javier decided to go across to Mr. Colombo's office to introduce themselves. Mr. Colombo was a warm, ebullient man in his 40's, who greatly enjoyed working with young people. They had a very lively discussion with him, as he gave them an overview of the division and what they were expected to do. His administrative assistant assigned them their desks. They were both looking forward to spending the next two weeks there.

Over at Owen's office, Penny and Richard had made it across. Owen was hoping that Cristina had been assigned to him but he knew the time would come when she would have to work with him.

"Ah, Ms. Standish and Mr. Lawrence," Owen said. "So you're going to be with us for the next two weeks. Excellent. I hope we can provide you with some interesting learning opportunities." Penny giggled and Richard gave her a disgusted look. She just suddenly felt all girly and foolish in front of the handsome Mr. Hunt. As the New York representative in the program, she had often seen Hunt in the building but never had an opportunity to get to know him. This was her chance, she thought. She unconsciously fluffed out her hair. Richard felt she was embarrassing him.

Owen knew the young woman was flirting with him but it didn't really bother him. He was just anxiously awaiting for the lunchtime hour so he could see Cristina in the cafeteria. At 12 noon, he went to the cafeteria but she was nowhere in sight. He hung around for half an hour. He saw her friends there but she was nowhere to be seen. He wondered where she was.

Cristina had developed such a headache from her night of drinking that she had gone home to sleep it off. As she crawled into her bed into the apartment, she switched off her phone. She couldn't deal with conversation right now, especially since her head was pounding. It was like if she had a troupe of Kodo drummers performing in her brain.

She knew she should not have gone drinking. It was just not her thing. She really was an old person in a young woman's body, she thought. That was something she had in common with Owen, she thought. They were so both not the nightlife type. She thought about the kiss that they shared together, that morning. She touched her lips. That kiss reminded her of the physical aspect of their relationship. She missed his hands in her hair, on her body. She missed the feel of him being inside of her. She touched herself as she thought of him. "Oh, stop it, Cristina. You are just driving yourself crazy here," she said aloud. She hugged her pillow, pretending it was Owen and then, fell asleep. She woke up, hours later, when she heard the knock on her bedroom door. It had to be Sasha.

"Come in," she croaked out in a raspy voice. Sasha came in, looking all bubbly. She certainly recovered faster than me, Cristina thought.

"Hey, Cristina, how are you feeling?" Sasha said, as she came in and sat on the bed.

"Okay, I guess. The sleep really helped. Did I miss anything in the afternoon?" she asked.

"No, not really, except Penny was going on and on about how hot Mr. Hunt is and how she was so lucky to be working with him, during the first rotation," Sasha said, grinning. "I think she is going to put the moves on him but I don't think he is going to bite."

"Why?" Cristina asked. She hoped she was sounding very casual about it. As much as she and Owen were now in a grey area in their relationship, she really did not want anybody to have their designs on him.

"Well, I think he is interested in someone else," Sasha said, with a wicked look. Her eyebrows were raised in anticipation of her reveal, as she waited for Cristina to ask the inevitable question.

"Who?" Cristina squeaked out.

"Well, during the lunch session, Mr. Hunt came up to me and asked for….YOU!" Sasha squealed, triumphantly. "He wondered where you were, since you weren't with us. I told him that you weren't feeling well and you went home." Sasha carefully studied Cristina's face to gauge her reaction but Cristina controlled her emotions very well, much to Sasha's disappointment.

"Oh, okay," Cristina replied, very nonchalantly.

"Come on, Cristina. Doesn't that get you a little excited? That the hottest senior manager is asking about you," Sasha said.

"You seem to forget that we worked together in San Francisco. He was just being polite since I am usually with you guys and he didn't see me," Cristina replied.

"Oh, I forgot about that," Sasha responded. "Maybe I am reading too much into it. Anyway, would you like some tea? I am going to make some for myself."

"Yes, thanks," Cristina said, as Sasha left the room. It was only when Sasha closed the door that Cristina allowed herself to smile.

When Owen had heard that she was not feeling well, he called her phone several times, only to be disappointed by it going straight to voice mail. He left a message, "I heard you weren't feeling well. Sorry to hear that. When you feel better, can we talk? You know where you can reach me."

She turned on her phone for her messages. There was a message from her mom and one from Janet and another from her grandpa. The fourth message was from Owen. She perked up when she heard the first rumble of his voice. She was in the midst of pondering whether to call him when Sasha came in with the tea and crackers. Cristina put down her phone. The two girls chatted for the rest of the evening.

Throughout the day, Owen checked his phone to ensure that he had not missed any call from her. When he got home that night, he checked it again. Still, there was no call from her. With the weekend upon them, he felt it would be a perfect time for them to get re-acquainted, he thought. "Please call me, Cristina," he thought. He fixed himself a light dinner and went to sleep, early. His last thought before he nodded off was that maybe, she would call tomorrow.

Cristina couldn't sleep. She had slept so many hours during the day before Sasha had come home. She tossed and turned in her bed. She wondered if Owen was up. Maybe, he could be up. After all, it was Friday night and he could stay up as late as he wanted, since tomorrow was Saturday. She looked at the clock. It was 10.57 p.m. She wondered if she should call him. She had been okay with the fact that she was assigned to Mr. Colombo's division because she thought she might have needed some breathing room. Now, she wasn't so sure. That kiss had made her miss him even more. She missed his taste and his smell.

She picked up her phone and slowly dialed his number. Owen woke up with a start, when he heard his phone ringing. Through half-asleep eyes, he saw the time – 10.58 p.m. Who could be calling him at this hour? He picked up the phone and answered in a groggy voice, "Hello."

"Hey," she said. He got awake, immediately with that one word. "Cristina," he whispered. The way he said her name was almost like a caress, she thought.

"I see you called me," she said. "Yeah, how are you feeling?" he asked. "Heard you went home, early."

"I knew drinking and me were never a good combination," she said. "As you already know, I am not much of a nightlife girl."

"Yeah, I know," he said. "Cristina, I want to talk." He heard her pause. "Cristina?" he said her name, again.

"Okay, can I come over? I will take a cab. I can't sleep anyway," she said. "I slept too much during the day."

"Yes, please. You know you are always welcome here," he said. "I really want to see you."

"Okay, I am coming over, now," she said. "Bye." As soon as he heard the click on the phone, he got up, immediately. He went to the bathroom and washed his face, so he could be more alert. He went into his living room and started to pace. He was so anxious. He realized he didn't know where she lived so he didn't know how long she would take to get there. Twenty minutes later, he got a call from the doorman that a young lady was coming up. His heart started beating faster. This was the moment he had been waiting for all day.

When he heard the doorbell, he rushed to open the door. Her hair was loose and she was wearing sweats but to him, she still looked beautiful. "Cristina," he said, softly. He wasn't ready for what happened next, as she hurled herself at him, knocking him over, as she claimed his lips with her own.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thanks for letting me know what you think.**


	16. Chapter 16 Together Again

Their kisses became even more fervent and urgent, as they lay there on the floor. Owen kicked the door closed, as they continued to kiss.

"Cristina, as much as I enjoy the spontaneity of this, we do have a very comfortable king-size bed in my bedroom. Also, it seems that we do make a habit of falling to floor and making out," he finally said. He got up and held out his hand for her. She took it and they raced to the bedroom, stripping off their clothes on the way to the bed.

"Are you still on the pill?" he asked. "I don't have any condoms." She nodded. "Yeah, I stayed on the pill to regulate my cycle. So it's okay." He breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know whether he could stop himself, especially since they were both already naked. He didn't want her getting pregnant, accidentally, especially since the miscarriage.

He started kissing her all over her body and marveled in the silky feel of her skin. "Gosh, I have missed you so much," he whispered as his lips and tongue found her center and he reveled in the taste of her. He could feel himself hardening as he skillfully made her wriggle with pleasure.

"How could I have ever lived without this?" she whispered, breathlessly. He came up and found her lips with his own. She could taste herself on his mouth. He focused on her face, before he penetrated her, eager to see her every change of expression. As their bodies worked themselves into a familiar rhythm, she closed her eyes to fully enjoy the sensations of him being inside of her. The point where their bodies became one, was when they climaxed. After not having sex for a while, the release was the sweetest they had ever experienced. He kissed her, deeply, as they came.

After several rounds of rather vigorous sex, they lay together, wrapped in each other arms. He needed to ask the one question that was niggling him, since she came over. "Cristina, is this a booty call? Did you just come over for sex because you were just feeling lonely?"

She looked up at him. "No, I really missed you and I wanted to be with you. It is not a booty call."

"Good," he said, as he pulled her back down towards him. He kissed her on the top of her head.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, he found her asleep, under his arm. It was a while since they shared the same bed. It felt good. Hell, it felt great. He got up and didn't wake her. He brushed his teeth and then, went out to make her breakfast. It was good to be cooking for two, once again. When he was through, he went back to the bedroom to wake her up.

"Hey, wake up, baby. I made us breakfast," he said, kissing her on her forehead. She opened her eyes and stretched. "Good morning," she said, with a smile.

"Good morning to you, too. I left you a new toothbrush in the bathroom. Breakfast is already on the table. I just have to make some coffee," he said.

"Okay," she said, leaping out of the bed and running out of the bathroom. She realized she was still naked. "Oops, what will I wear?"

"Just put on one of my t-shirts. Just check in my closet. I will take you home after breakfast so you can get some fresh clothes. Do you want to spend the day together?" he asked, hopefully.

"Okay," she said. "But I really need to get home to get some fresh underwear and to get out of those sweats that I was wearing yesterday." He was happy that she agreed to spend the day, together. He went back out and picked up the morning paper that had been delivered to his door. He wondered if they should go see a movie, today, as he searched the lifestyle and entertainment section of the newspaper.

When she finally emerged from the bedroom, she had managed to find one of his old Princeton t-shirts. It fitted her like a dress. He thought she looked spectacularly cute in it.

She took a sip of the steaming hot coffee, followed by a forkful of the scrambled eggs and ham that he had made for her. "I knew I missed something about you. Your cooking!" she exclaimed.

"Is that all you missed?" he asked, teasingly. "Uh, there are lots of other things that I missed about you, but cooking is right up there with them." He went across to her side of the table and started tickling her. "Tell me what else you missed." She started to giggle uncontrollably. "Stop it, stop it," she screamed. "I will tell you."

He went back to his side of the table. "I missed your kisses, I missed your smell, I missed making love to you, I missed lazy weekends with you, I missed the ways your eyes crinkle on the sides whenever you smile at me," she said. "I also missed the way you love me."

"I do, you know," he said. "I love you. Very much. Like from the depths of my heart kind of love."

"I love you, too," she said. "Very much. Like from the tips of my toes to the top of my head kind of love."

"Then why did you pull away from me when you came to New York?" he asked. "I just wanted to be with you. I wanted to hold you in my arms and never let go."

"Because of all of the hurt I felt when you left San Francisco. When you left, I was devastated. I was so lonely without you. I used to cry myself to sleep at night," she said. "I didn't want to get involved with you, again, because I was afraid to feel that way, again when I leave New York to go back home."

There, she said it. The fact that when her program was over, she would be going back to San Francisco. It weighed heavily on him. "I was depressed, too, about leaving. I buried myself in my work, so I wouldn't have to think about it. But whenever I had a moment to think, all I could dream about was you."

He wanted to talk about the possibility of them staying together after her program ended. There must be a way, he thought, for them to continue this relationship. He didn't want it to end, again. He started, "Cristina." But before he could get anything else out, there was a knock on the door. He knew exactly whom it was. It was his brother, Oliver, because he recognized his special knock.

What he didn't expect was Cristina's reaction to the knock; she just suddenly got up and hightailed it to the bedroom. "Cristina!" he yelled. What was wrong with her? He shook his head, as he answered the door.

Owen's brother, Oliver, was ten years older. He looked like a lot like Owen, just a slightly older version. He stepped into the apartment. "Hey there, little bro," Oliver said. "How are you?"

"Fine, Oliver, what's up?" Owen asked. "How can I help you?" Oliver took a quick note of the two place settings at the table. Clearly, Owen had company for the night. Oliver grinned; he wondered if he should josh with him, a little bit but he thought better of it, since Owen's overnight companion was probably still around.

"Well, Juju wants to have family bonding time again, so she wants to have dinner at our apartment. I already told Mom and Dad about it. So I am just telling you. Tonight, at our apartment for about 6.30 p.m., we would like to have the pleasure of your company. You could also bring your friend, too," Oliver said. "I am sure that Juju would like to meet her."

"Friend?" Owen asked. "Yes," Oliver replied. "The person who you were just having breakfast with. If I am not mistaken, she still has to eat the rest of her breakfast. If I am mistaken, then you must be a glutton, eating two servings of breakfast." Owen laughed.

"Cristina," Owen called out. "I would like you to meet someone." Cristina reluctantly came out of the bedroom. She had changed out of Owen's t-shirt and back into her sweats. She came to Owen and he put his arm around her shoulder.

"Cristina, I would like you to meet my older brother, Oliver," Owen said. "Oliver, this is my girlfriend, Cristina Yang." She shyly put out her hand to shake Oliver's hand.

"The girl from San Francisco?" Oliver asked, as he ignored Cristina's hand and kissed her on her cheek instead. Owen nodded.

"I have heard a lot about you," Oliver said. "He couldn't stop talking about you, when he came back from San Francisco. I can tell that he loves you. A lot." Owen felt a little embarrassed that his brother was spilling his secrets, so he tried to change the subject. "Cristina, Oliver and his wife, Julianne, are inviting us to their place for dinner tonight. Mom and Dad are going to be there, too. Is that okay with you?" he asked. She nodded.

"Great," Oliver said. "I will tell Juju she has a full house, tonight. Lovely to meet you, Cristina. See you, tonight, little bro." He opened the door and he left.

"Why did you run?" he asked. She smiled, sheepishly. "Automatic reflex response. I am so used to not letting others know about us at work that I made a dash for it. Also, I was dressed in your t-shirt and I didn't have anything on, underneath it."

"Oh, we were a little on the saucy side," he guffawed loudly. She sat down and finished her breakfast. "I guess I should take you home to get changed into some decent clothes. When you change, you can also bring a nice dress for tonight's dinner. Nothing too fancy, just a nice dress," he said. "You can change here and then we go upstairs. Come to think of it, pack an overnight bag, so you can stay overnight, tonight."

She looked at him, "You're clearly planning my whole weekend."

"Yeah, it has been so long that we have been together, I want to spend as much time with you, as possible," he said. "Is that bad?"

"No," she said, as she came and sat on his lap. "It's very good."

* * *

Later that day, she changed into a pretty blue dress. Owen said it wasn't a formal dinner, so she hoped it was good enough. She brushed out her curly locks and put on some light make-up. She finished up with a rose lipstick. She thought she looked presentable enough.

She came out from the bedroom, "I am ready," she announced. "Why, yes you are," he said. "You look pretty. Juju will be so jealous of you. Come on, let's go, we are going down two floors."

"It really must be wonderful to have your family so close," she said. "Yeah, we like it," he said, as they stepped into the elevator. Mere seconds passed as they reached Oliver's floor. He took her hand, as they headed to Oliver's apartment. "I am sure that my mom and dad are here, already. They are always early." He knocked on the door.

An attractive brunette woman in her late thirties, opened the door. Cristina assumed that this was Oliver's wife. "Hello, hello," she said. "Come in." She gave Owen a hug. "Who is this lovely girl?"

"Juju, this is my girlfriend, Cristina. Cristina, this is Julianne but we call her Juju," Owen said. "Welcome to our home, Cristina," Juju said. "I am so pleased to meet you. Max, Kelly, come and give your uncle a hug." The children, who were not really children, but teenagers, who languidly came forward. Max was about 13 and Kelly was 15. They both gave Owen a hug and shook Cristina's hand. Then, they slipped away and went back to watching television.

"Humph, teenagers!" Juju said, shaking her head. "Ollie and Robin are already here. They're helping me set the table." Cristina and Owen went to the dining room. "Ah, Cristina, Owen," Robin said. "You two are such a gorgeous couple." Robin and Ollie came forward and gave each of them a warm hug.

"Hi, mom, dad," Owen said. "Nice to see you again, Mr and Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said.

"Please call us Ollie and Robin," Ollie said, his blue eyes twinkling. "Who knows, maybe someday, we'll be family." He slapped his son on his back. He knew how smitten Owen was with the girl. Cristina chose to ignore Ollie's latter comment and simply said, "Ollie and Robin."

"I think we are ready for dinner," Juju said, laying the last dish on the table. "Max, Kelly, Oliver!" she shouted. "Dinner is ready." The two teenagers, plus their father who had been in his study, hurried to the dining room. When Juju had that urgent tone in her voice, they knew they had to come, immediately, or they would never hear the end of it.

Everyone took their seats, as Owen pulled out the chair next to him for Cristina to sit. "Let's dig in," Juju said. The dinner turned out to be a wonderful night. Cristina got to see the dynamics of the Hunt family and it was clear how much they all loved each other. There was much laughter and conversation all around. Oliver kidded Owen a couple of times, as a big brother normally would. Cristina thoroughly enjoyed herself. It was one of the best nights she had ever had, since she came to New York. The nightclub scene paled in comparison to this family dinner. The Hunts made every effort to make her feel welcomed and she was grateful. Owen squeezed her hand, several times, during the dinner. He was so elated that she was there with his family. He knew that they would love her, too, like he did.

After dinner and dessert, everyone bade farewell and retired to their respective apartments. As Cristina and Owen went back to his apartment, she said to him, "Your family is wonderful, Owen. That is why you are the kind of man you are. No wonder I love you." He took her in his arms and held her close to him.

* * *

Back in their apartment, Ollie and Robin were discussing the special guest at their family gathering. "Do you think this is the one, Ollie?" Robin asked her husband.

"Hmm, he could not be more in love. We've seen him with girlfriends over the years, but it is nothing like this," Ollie said. "You could actually feel the love, when he looks at her. He has been searching for the one for quite a while."

"She is a lovely girl. He was completely broken, when he came back from San Francisco, when he left her behind," Robin said. "I hope she stays here. He would be so happy."

"Just like us," Ollie said, as he and his wife hugged.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thanks for your leaving your thoughts. I do appreciate them.**


	17. Chapter 17 Moving in

"So, that is what we're planning to do for the next two weeks," Owen said to Javier and Cristina. They were both on their second rotation, which was with Owen's division.

"Thank you, sir," Javier said. "That sounds like we have a lot of work to do." Cristina echoed Javier's sentiments. They both stood up to leave Owen's office.

"Cristina, do you mind staying back? I need to discuss something with you," Owen said. "Okay, sir," she said. "What do you need?" Owen waited until Javier left before he spoke. "Lock that door, Cristina."

"What?" she said. "Lock the door," he repeated. She did as she was told. "Now come around to my side of the desk." She giggled, as she did so. He pulled her on to his lap and they shared a deep kiss.

"Sir, are you indulging in some hanky-panky with your employee?" she asked, with a grin on her face.

"No, I am indulging in some hanky-panky with my girlfriend," he said. "I missed you, last night. You didn't come over."

"No, we went out for Thai last night. All the guys and all of the girls," she said. "We just wanted to get out of the apartment. Our apartments are not as luxurious as yours, may I remind you."

"Okay," he said, as he kissed her again. He then pushed her up from his lap and on top of his desk. He pushed up her skirt and started removing her underwear. She stopped his hands, saying, "What are you doing?"

"Indulging in a little hanky-panky with my girlfriend," he said, as he slid down her underwear off her legs. She kicked off her high heels.

"I thought you were kidding," she said, as she unbelted and unzipped his pants. "Nope," he said. "I told you that I missed you last night." She put her hand down his boxer briefs and touched him. "Ooh, it looks like you really missed me."

"You have no idea!" he exclaimed. "I was just hoping to get this meeting over and Javier out of here." He took off his pants and his boxer briefs. "This is just going to be a quick one," he said, as he penetrated her with his fingers, working to make her all wet, while continuing to kiss her at the same time.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "I want you now." She grabbed his buttocks and pulled him closer towards her. He whispered back as he entered, "Remember Renee is just outside our door, so we have to keep it down as much as possible."

Since they really didn't have much time, they went at it, fast and hard. Cristina found herself wanting to scream but he put a finger to her mouth to remind her to keep quiet. Still, they kept their moans and groans to a minimum but she couldn't help herself as she gasped loudly, when she came. She watched his face, as he closed his eyes when he came soon after. They held on to each other for a while, her legs wrapped around him. When their breathing had slowed down, Owen grabbed the tissues from his desk and handed her, so she could wipe herself, before putting on back her panties. He did the same for himself, before he dressed into his boxer briefs and pants again. As he zipped up and buckled his pants, he chuckled. She giggled. "Is this what I can expect from my two weeks in your division, Mr. Hunt?"

"Only if you are a good girl," he said, giving her a quick peck on the nose. "Now I have to send you back to your desk, out there."

She straightened her skirt. "Do I look okay?" she asked. "I don't look I have been fucking my boss, right?"

"Of course not," he said, teasingly. "Do I look like I have been fucking my employee?"

"Yes," she said. They both laughed. "Do you want to go out for lunch?" she asked. He nodded. "Yup, just meet me at my car for 12."

Cristina opened the door and quickly stepped out of the office. She gave a quick acknowledgement to Owen's administrative assistant. The woman briefly looked up from her typing and nodded. When Cristina went back to her cubicle, Javier looked over from his cubicle. "What did he want?" he asked. He was anxious to know, since he didn't want to be kept out of any project that Mr. Hunt may have assigned Cristina.

Cristina gave him the sweetest smile. "Nothing, Javi. We were just catching up with each other. Remember we worked together in San Francisco."

"Oh," Javier said, before sitting back down. "If it was anything, you'd tell me, right?"

"Yup, Javi. You didn't miss out on anything," she assured him.

At lunchtime, Cristina did not meet her peers in the cafeteria. Instead, she went straight down to the parking area, where Owen was already waiting in his car. She slipped into the passenger front seat and he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Where to?" he asked. "Your choice. This is your town," she said. "Okay," he replied. "I am going to take you to one of my favorite places."

They got to the restaurant and it seemed that they knew him very well, there, as they gave him a table, right away. He asked if it was okay for him to order for her. She agreed, since he appeared to know the menu very well. As they sipped on their drinks, he couldn't help looking at her, with a huge smile on his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Do I have something on my face?" She self-consciously touched her cheek.

"No, no," he said. "I am just admiring how pretty you are. It always makes my day, whenever I see your face."

"Aww, you know just what to say to make a girl blush," she replied.

"Cristina, I have been thinking about something for a while, now and it is pretty important to me," Owen said, taking her hand into his. She gave him a suspicious look. "Don't look at me, that way," he said. "I just was thinking that since you are in New York, you could move in with me. You wouldn't have to live in that small apartment."

"That's very generous of you," she said. "Well, you let me stay at your house in San Francisco," he replied. "It was the best time of my life. I just want to reciprocate and offer you the same and want you to stay with me."

"I will think about it. I am not sure about leaving Sasha alone in the apartment," Cristina said. "I would think that I would like to talk to her about it first. I will let you know."

"Please," he siad. "It would mean so much to me." She squeezed his hand.

* * *

Later that evening, when she and Sasha were at home, she decided it was as good as time as any to broach the topic. They were sitting in the living room, each of them enjoying a beer.

"Sasha, there is something I would like to speak to you about," Cristina started.

"Oh, dear, did I do something to upset you? Leave the wet towels on the floor of the bathroom or something like that?" Sasha asked, a little concerned.

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Cristina assured her roommate. "It's just that I was thinking of moving out and was wondering if you would be okay with that."

"You're moving out?" Sasha's eyes widened in disbelief. "Can you afford the rentals in Manhattan? I certainly can't. Besides, we are living here rent-free, courtesy of the company, for three months. Why are you moving out? Is it me?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Cristina said. "I am just moving out to be with my boyfriend."

"Cristina! We have only been in New York, a little more than four weeks and you already have found a boyfriend and are moving in with him," Sasha shrieked. "Girl, you really move fast."

"Um, it's not what you think," Cristina said. "But that is besides the point. I just wanted to find out if you were okay with it."

"Yeah sure," Sasha said. "I can be a slob from now on and nobody will see. If you want to move in with your boyfriend, you can do so."

"Thanks, Sasha for not making a fuss," Cristina said. "I am probably moving out this week. I will leave my key on the table."

"Okay," Sasha said, curious about who this boyfriend could be. Cristina went into her room and called Owen, telling him that Sasha had no problem with her moving out. They made arrangements for her to move out tomorrow evening. They were going to leave the office, a little early, so he could help her with her suitcases. They were planning to be out of there before Sasha returned home from the office, so she wouldn't see who Cristina's boyfriend was.

* * *

Cristina had packed up her suitcases the night before, so they were going to make a quick getaway from her apartment. They went to her room and Owen picked up her two suitcases. Cristina left the key on the table and closed the door. They hurriedly got into the elevator and down to Owen's car in basement parking. As they drove out of the basement, they thought they made a clean getaway, except they hadn't counted on Sasha, coming home, a little early, too. She was walking home from the subway station, when she noticed Cristina in the car that passed her. The person in the driver's seat brought a smile to Sasha's face. She knew exactly who Cristina's boyfriend was. She knew that there was something going on between them, since that day when Cristina was sick and he asked about her.

She knew she had to tell Penny about this. No wonder how flirtatious Penny was during her rotation with Mr. Hunt, she was unsuccessful. Eventually, Penny had given up, noting his total disinterest. Now, Sasha had confirmed why he had not taken the bait that Penny had put out in front of him. That Cristina felt she could fool the likes of Sasha Moncrief. Little did her former roommate know that they used to call her Gossip Girl in college. Sasha chuckled as she went up to her apartment. She was going to have a field day with this.

"I think we did it," Owen said. "A clean getaway without any messy encounters with any of your colleagues."

"Yeah, I think so," Cristina said, quietly. She wasn't sure but she thought she had seen Sasha returning to the building, when they had left. Suppose it was her and she saw them together. That would be a total disaster, she thought. Maybe it was her imagination, she tried to console herself. She looked over at Owen. He had the widest smile on his face. They got to his apartment building, where he parked and took out her suitcases from out of the trunk. They went up to the elevator to his floor. When they got to his apartment, he put her suitcases into his bedroom and immediately started packing away her stuff into his closet and drawers and then placed her toiletries in his bathroom. It was done so efficiently and so quickly that Cristina was glad that he did it. She would have dawdled, trying to pack away her stuff.

"So now that you are my houseguest, you are an honorary Hunt and you will have to partake in everything Hunt," he said. "Since Halloween is in a couple of days, we are going to carve pumpkins up in my mom's apartment. Oliver's family is coming up, too. This year, I am happy to say that I am finally bringing someone to the pumpkin-carving."

"But what about your girlfriends before me? Surely, they were privileged to experience the Hunt pumpkin-carving party," she said.

"Um, no. You are the first girlfriend that I am bringing to this," he said. It made her feel special. Later that evening, they headed up to the Hunt penthouse in the sky. Ollie and Robin were so welcoming to her, she thought. Oliver, his wife and children were already there. They all sat down to a meal of hearty pumpkin soup in bread bowls. Then they got down to the business of carving the pumpkins. Everyone tried to do a crazy jack o' lantern. Cristina's pumpkin had a demented face with terrible teeth, while Owen's pumpkin was a skull and bones face. Owen examined their handiwork. "Yup, that is good," he said. "We are going to put these out on our balcony." They picked up their pumpkins, as they bade Ollie and Robin good-bye. His parents were both aware that the young lady was staying at Owen's place. Their son was the happiest that they had ever seen him.

When they went back to their apartment, Owen put the pumpkins out on the balcony. "We don't have much room to decorate for Halloween and I like Halloween." They stared out at the lights of the city. "This is truly an amazing view," she said. "I really, really love it." He took her in his arms and hoped that what she meant was that she really loved it here with him. He was still holding on to the hope that they were going to stay together, even after her program ended.

* * *

The next day, Owen drove to work and he dropped her off at the entrance, while he went to park. That way, they would go into the building, separately. But it really was to no avail, Cristina's peers already knew. When she passed Javi's cubicle, he looked up and gave her a knowing smile. When she met Richard and Alan in the elevator, they both gave her the same type of smile that she got from Javi. She wondered what was going on with them.

It was only when she got to the ladies' room and found Penny there, washing her hands. Penny looked up at Cristina. "Seriously? You couldn't have told me something. There I was, making a fool of myself in front of the man for two weeks." Cristina gave her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"We all know, Cristina," Penny said. "About you and Mr. Hunt."

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thanks for taking the time to do so. I do appreciate that.**


	18. Chapter 18 They All Know

Cristina was dumbfounded. She wasn't quite sure what to say. Her first instinct was to deny it. "I…I…I don't know what you mean," she stammered out.

"Oh, come off it, Yang," Penny said. "Sasha saw you, yesterday, moving out of the apartment with your boyfriend." So this confirmed that it was indeed Sasha that she saw on the street. Darn it, she thought. Her secret had come to light.

"Oh, okay," Cristina said. Penny gave her an accusatory look. "Why didn't you say something? You had me going on and on about how hot he is. You could have just said 'Penny, leave him alone, he's my man.' "

"We just thought it would be better if we kept quiet about it," Cristina said, sheepishly. "It wouldn't help either of us if a bunch of people know about it. But I guess now the cat is definitely out of the bag."

"Well, right now, only the six of us in the program know about it. I will tell the others to keep it to themselves. You do know that Sasha has a big mouth and that is why the rest of us know. How long has it been going on, may I ask?" Penny said.

"Since San Francisco," Cristina admitted, deciding to come clean about everything. "We were together, since then, when he came on assignment. We broke up after he left San Francisco but we got back together, when I came to New York for the program."

"So what are you going to do when the program ends? There's a little more than seven weeks left to the program. You are supposed to go back to San Francisco. What happens then?" Penny asked.

"To be honest, I don't know," Cristina said. Penny gave her colleague a sympathetic look. "I will tell the others that it stays among the six of us and Mr. Hunt, of course."

"Thanks, Penny, I am grateful," Cristina replied.

"No problem, Cristina. See you later," Penny said, taking a final look at herself in the mirror, before exiting the bathroom.

Cristina stared at herself in the mirror. That was an important question that Penny had just asked. What was going to happen when the program ended? She and Owen had been having such a wonderful time together. She didn't want it to end. She also loved his family. They were such warm, welcoming people. She washed her hands, left the bathroom and headed directly to Owen's office.

Renee, Owen's administrative assistant, nodded at her, as she knocked and entered Owen's office. He looked up and he grinned, as he saw her standing there.

"Come in, Miss Yang, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he said, beckoning her to come sit in his lap. She went around to his side of the desk and sat down. She put her arms around his neck and rested her head against him. "What's wrong, baby?" he asked, a little concerned. She looked up at him with a woeful expression.

"We have been found out," she said. "The other folks in the program know about us."

"How?" he asked. He racked his brain, trying to figure out where they had slipped up and he could come up with nothing.

"When we were leaving the company apartment, yesterday, Sasha was coming from the subway station and she saw me, driving out with you, so she put two and two together and came to the conclusion that you were my elusive boyfriend," Cristina said. "Sasha, it seems, couldn't keep it to herself and told everyone else in the program. Right now, they are the only ones that know. Penny said that she will tell the others to keep it quiet."

"Awww," Owen groaned. "Do you think that they will?"

"Well, I think so. The thing is that since they know, they will be looking at us, really kind of funny," Cristina said. "So this means no more hanky-panky in the office."

"Awww," Owen said, again. "Well, you're living in my apartment, now, so that means we will do all of the hanky-panky there. Let me tell you much hanky-panky will be afoot in that apartment." He grinned. "If it is only them, it will be okay," he tried to console her.

"Yeah, I guess," she said. "I better go back to my cubicle and start doing some work." She got up from his lap. "See ya."

"Yeah, bye, babe," he said. He watched as she closed the door, before he went back to his computer. He knew she was disturbed by her peers knowing about their relationship but it didn't bother him as much. If left up to him, the whole world would know.

At lunchtime, Cristina joined her colleagues in the cafeteria. As she sat down with her lunch, she could feel their eyes on her.

"Is there something the matter?" she asked. "Do I have something on my face?" She knew perfectly well what they were thinking. That's why she didn't want anyone to know. It was the same, everywhere. Everyone usually thought when a young female subordinate is in a relationship with a senior manager, it was that she was sleeping with him to get ahead in the company. But this was not true with her and Owen, their relationship was about love.

"No, no," they murmured.

"So anyone catch that game last night?" Javier said, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic that was on everyone else's minds. Cristina gave him a grateful look.

"Yeah," Alan said. Then, everyone else started talking about the game. No one ever again asked her about her relationship with Mr. Hunt. They were good friends to her.

* * *

Halloween luckily fell on a Friday that year. Their pumpkins on the balcony were lit. "If I had a house," Owen declared. "I would decorate the lawn and be obnoxious about it."

"Well, if I was home for Halloween, Janet and I were planning to decorate in front of my house. We were going to get tons of candy to give out to the kids," she said. "We were going to dress up, too."

"Well, we are still celebrating it, here. I got us costumes," he said. "Really?" she shrieked. She ran to the bedroom to find a short red female Star Trek costume and a male tan shirt and black pants Star Trek costume. "You are Lt Uhura and I am Captain Kirk," Owen said, as he pulled on the tan shirt and black pants.

She stared at the red dress. "It really is short, isn't it?"

"Have you never seen how short Lt Uhura wore it? Come on, you are going to look so hot," he said. "Be grateful that I did not get you the Princess Leia gold bikini costume."

She changed into the red costume. "Oh my, that is short," Owen said, appreciatively. She glared at him. "But you look good. Just don't bend over." He picked up a Halloween pumpkin decoration. "Now let's get this tacked on our front door so the kids know that we welcome them to trick or treat at our apartment." He left the bedroom, with her following him.

"So not everyone likes the kids to trick or treat?" she asked, as she watched him put up the decoration.

"Nope, if you want to partake in Halloween in this building, you let everyone know by putting up a Halloween decoration on your door. If your door doesn't have one, the kids know to bypass your apartment. That way, people who don't want to take part, won't be disturbed," he said. He closed the door. "So we will just have to await our first customers." They didn't have to wait long, as their doorbell rang two minutes later.

Cristina rushed to the door to answer it. She was like a little kid. An assortment of ghosts, gnomes, firemen and policemen were at their door. "Trick or Treat," they screamed in unison. Owen came forward with a bowl of candy and started putting them in the kids' pumpkin buckets.

"Thanks, mister," the kids said, before they left. It was a steady flow of children, after that. Cristina loved handed out the candy to all of the little kids. "Will your niece and nephew be coming around?" she asked. Owen laughed. "I seriously doubt that. Max and Kelly are teenagers, now and they would be too ashamed to do so because they think they are too grown-up for that." The doorbell rang, again. This time, it was a young couple with two small children. The boy, about three years old, was dressed as Cookie Monster, while the baby girl, about a year old, was dressed as Abby Cadabby. She was being carried by her father, while the mother held the boy's hand.

"Oh, gosh, they are so cute," Cristina screamed. "Abby and Cookie!"

"Thank you," the mom said. "They are always not this cute, let me tell you, but right now, they are." Owen filled their buckets with candies.

"Looks like they already a good haul," Owen said. The dad nodded. He said, "We are probably heading up back to our apartment, soon. When you have smaller kids, you can't stay out that long." They bade them goodbye, as Owen closed the door.

"Gosh, weren't they cute?" Cristina said. "When we have our kids, won't it be awesome to do that with them?" Owen couldn't believe she said that. It was also the casual way she said it. It warmed his heart. They hadn't yet discussed what was going to happen, when it was time for her to go back San Francisco and for her to say this, made him feel like they had a real future. He didn't say anything but smiled at her. He wondered if she realized she had said that.

She went back to check their candy supplies. She was glad that she had her face turned away from him. She had been aware of what she had said. Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. She was glad that she had something to do, as she refilled the bowls with candies.

"That's enough candy," he said, as he noticed the candies spilling over the bowls. He came up behind her and enveloped her in his arms and bit her on her neck. "We can't do this now," she said. "More kids are coming." It was as if on cue, the doorbell rang. Owen groaned. He was now thinking of getting some loving on Halloween night. "Let's hold that thought." He opened the door to reveal Darth Maul, the Star Wars character with the red and black painted face and horns. He was clearly an older boy.

"So here you go," Owen said, trying to get rid of the boy by giving him a whole bunch of candy. He wanted to get back to other more pressing matters, like making love to his girlfriend.

"Uncle Owen, it's me," Darth Maul said. "Max?" Owen said, in an incredulous tone. "I thought you were too old for doing this, now."

"Well, it's all free candy and I won't have to buy for a couple of weeks," Max said. "It was an economic decision."

"Do your parents know you're doing this?" Owen asked. The boy nodded. "Where's your sister?" Owen asked.

"She went to a party," Max said. "She refused to take me because I am still in elementary school. Anyway, thanks, Uncle Owen. Very hot outfit, Cristina." Cristina waved at the boy.

"Hey, hey, hey," Owen said. "Stop eyeing my girlfriend." Both he and Max chuckled. "See ya, Uncle Owen," the boy said, as he headed to another apartment. Owen took down the Halloween decoration from off his door.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "We still have lots of candy left."

"I will put that back up, as soon as we are done," he said, closing the door. "Done with what?" she asked. He went to her and took her face into his hands and they kissed. They deepened the kiss, as he pushed up his hands under the short Lt Uhura uniform. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him, as he carried her to the bedroom. As he placed her on the bed, "Look out, Lt Uhura, Captain Kirk is about to invade you." They both laughed.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to leave your reviews. Thank you.**


	19. Chapter 19 Thanksgiving

It was Thanksgiving week and Cristina was coming to the end on her third rotation. After this week, she would only have two rotations left, which meant that she only had four more weeks before she went home to San Francisco for Christmas.

She was sad about it but she decided she was not going to show Owen how she felt. After all, it was Thanksgiving and particularly, a joyous time.

They woke up early on Thanksgiving day. That's because they had a couple of dishes to prepare for the Hunt family Thanksgiving luncheon. Robin had smartly divvied up the work between her two sons and their significant others. Cristina groaned as Owen prodded her awake. "Get up, Cristina," Owen said. "We have work to do." She groaned again.

"You know what? I know exactly how to get you up," he said, as he bit her neck and deftly removed her nightshirt and underwear.

"Oh, is that the way you plan to get me up?" she said, lazily, opening her eyes a little bit. "Yeah, I think it is the perfect solution," he said, as he gently eased himself inside of her.

"Ooh, that's nice," she said, as he slowly built to a rhythm. She opened her legs and pulled him towards her so he could deeper inside of her. "Oh, yes!" she screamed. "I love this wake-up call!" After they climaxed, he rolled off of her, as they allowed their breathing to subside. "You could wake me up like that, anytime," she said.

"Will try but not sure if I can do that everyday," he said. "Come on, let's hit the shower, you may get a little more in there. After that, let's get started on our pies." She grinned at him, leapt from the bed and ran to the bathroom. He chased after her for another round of loving.

* * *

Half an hour later, they were both in the kitchen, ready to make their pies. They tied on their aprons and quickly got to work.

"What pies are we making?" Cristina asked. "Pumpkin, apple and pecan," Owen answered. "Plus we are also doing the mashed potatoes." He pulled out the bag of potatoes, washed them and emptied them in a pot of water, putting it to boil. "Okay, so we have our potatoes going. Let's start making that dough."

"Couldn't we just have bought the pie dough?" Cristina asked. "It would have it made it a lot easier."

"No, no," Owen said. "The way we are making these pies are from my Grandma Hunt's recipes. My dad would know the difference, immediately and would have made it a point to embarrass me. I can't allow that, especially on Thanksgiving. Okay, it will be good for you to learn the Hunt way of making pies."

"Uh, okay," she said, as she stared at the recipe card that Owen had taken out. It was old, beaten and hand-written. "Is this Grandma Hunt's handwriting?" Owen nodded. "Yep, that is hers. I really miss the old girl. She was a riot. I loved going to their house in Brooklyn. Dad moved out of Brooklyn, when he started doing really well on Wall Street. Then he married Mom, who came from old money. The Hunts were working class while the Wentworths were upper class, going back a couple of generations. Grandpa and Grandma Wentworth weren't too thrilled when Mom chose to marry Dad. They thought that Ollie Hunt from Brooklyn just wasn't good enough. But with hard work, Dad became very successful and he showed that he didn't need the Wentworths' money. Things eased on up him, when Oliver was born. They couldn't reject their grandson, now, could they?"

"Ooh, that is a great story," Cristina said. "So I gather Grandma Hunt is no longer with us. Where is Grandpa Hunt and the Wentworths?"

"Well, Grandpa Hunt went down to Boca to live and the Wentworths moved to Hawaii," Owen said. "I have a lot of cousins all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. Mom had two sisters and a brother and from them, I have about six cousins and Dad had five brothers and from them, we have about 20 cousins. We usually see them at Christmas, when we do presents exchange."

"That is a large family, you must have a horrendous Christmas list," Cristina said. Owen laughed. "It's not that bad. We just order gift baskets for each family. It is for our own immediate family that we shop the most for. Mom, dad, Oliver, Juju, Max, Kelly and now, you."

He was so happy when he said it that Cristina did not want to mention the fact that her program ended the week before Christmas and she would be back in San Francisco by that time. It probably hadn't occurred to Owen, she thought, that she would be gone by the time Christmas came around. It was Thanksgiving and she didn't want to say anything that would bring down the mood.

"Are you done cutting up the apples?" he asked. "Just one more apple," she replied. He watched as she cut the last apple. It was so amazing to have her here with his family, sharing the holidays. Then he remembered her own family.

"Hey, have you called your parents?" he asked. She shook her head. "It's too early. Remember they are on Pacific time. I will call around noon. They will probably be up by then and starting their own Thanksgiving. It will be okay. My brother and my sister and their families will be with them. I will call my grandpa in a bit. The retirement village always has this huge Thanksgiving celebration, so he will be having a great time."

While he was elated to have her here, he recognized the wistful tone in her voice and he knew that she missed her own family. He went across to her and hugged her from behind. "I know you miss them. My family may not be the same as yours but I guarantee that you're going to enjoy it with them."

"I know that, Owen. Your family has always been warm and welcoming to me. I like being with them," she said. "So it is okay, Owen." She turned around and hugged him.

"Good," he said. "Let's get back to work or Mom, the slavedriver, will be mad if we don't finish on time." She chuckled, as they both went back to making their pies.

Later, they changed their clothes and headed up to the penthouse with their pies and mashed potatoes. As Owen pressed the doorbell for Penthouse A, they could hear Robin's voice from the interior of the apartment. "Coming, coming!" she said As she opened the door, she chirped, "Owen, Cristina, you are always the last to get here."

"Yeah, Mom," Owen said, kissing her mom on the cheek. Cristina also did the same and said, "Happy Thanksgiving, Robin." They all headed to the kitchen, where they dropped off the pies. Juju was in the kitchen, making a sauce. She greeted them with a hello and a smile. "Let's leave those pies here and carry the mashed potatoes to the table. Cristina, you stay with me and help me with the setting of the table. Owen, your dad, your brother and the kids are in the den, watching television. You go join them."

"Okay, mom," Owen said. He knew his mother was trying to get rid of him. She probably wanted to talk to Cristina. He gave Cristina's hand a squeeze before he left to join his brother and dad.

Cristina and Robin went to the dining room and started laying out the place settings. "Cristina, I am so happy that you could join us for Thanksgiving."

"Thank you, Robin, I am very grateful that I have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving," Cristina said. "Your family has always made me feel welcome."

"Come on, Cristina, you're like part of our family, now," Robin said. "We love having you here, especially Owen."

"Thanks, Robin," Cristina said, giving the older woman a huge smile. They quickly finished all of the plate settings. Juju came out with the sauce. "Okay, I guess we are ready. Shall we call them?"

"Yes," Robin said. Juju left and returned with the other members of the family. Everyone took their seats with Ollie and Robin at the head at the foot of the table. Juju, Oliver and Kelly sat on one side of the table, while Cristina sat in between Owen and Max on the other side.

Robin looked around. "I am always happy when the family can get together. So let's start with the Thanksgiving tradition on saying what we're thankful for this year. Ollie, as the head of the family, will you start?"

"At my age, I am grateful that I am still alive and still able to enjoy and spend time with my family," Ollie said.

"Pshaw, Ollie. You are not that old," Robin chuckled. "Let's go around the table. Kelly?"

"So grateful that Dad finally got me the new Ipad," Kelly said. "I begged and begged and finally got it."

"Hmmm," Oliver said. "What a materialistic child I am raising. I guess it is my turn, now. I am grateful that things are going well, professionally. It has been a great year for the company. I am also grateful that my family is happy and healthy. Juju?"

"I am grateful for my family but I am also happy that our charity has been able to raise a lot of money for underprivileged children," Juju said. "Robin?"

"I am just thankful that my family is so close and are able to spend all of the holidays together. So many families are fractured but not this one," Robin said. "Max?"

"Like my materialistic sister, I am thankful that Dad and Mom decided got me the new Iphone. I am also glad that I made the starting line-up on the soccer team," Max said. "Cristina?"

"I am happy that I am spending Thanksgiving with a wonderful family because my family is so far away," Cristina said. "It would have been very lonely without you guys." Owen reached over for Cristina's hand.

Robin said, "We love having you with us, Cristina. Owen, you're last to go, what are you thankful for?"

He said, "Well, this year, I met and fell in love with a beautiful, wonderful person. For that, I am extremely grateful." He kissed Cristina's hand.

"Hmm, I wonder who that is," Max joked. Everyone laughed. Robin smiled at her younger son. It was clear that he was so in love with the girl.

"Well, I guess that is it. So let's eat, everyone," Robin said. Cristina looked around as the food was passed around. She loved being with the Hunts. The chatter among them was warm and comforting. She knew it was because of the love among them and some of that love was definitely aimed in her direction.

* * *

After lunch, Cristina helped Juju with the clean-up while the men went to the den to watch the games, while Robin went for a quick nap. All that cooking had tired her out. As they put away the dishes, Juju wanted to say something to Cristina.

"He loves you very much," Juju said. Cristina answered, "Yeah, I know."

"Do you love him, too?" Juju pressed. "I do," Cristina said. That was great news. It was a long time that Juju had been waiting for a sister-in-law and she was hoping that the young woman could possibly be it.

"So do you think that you are going to officially join the family?" Juju said, hopefully.

"What? Are you asking me if Owen and I are going to get married?" Cristina said. Juju nodded. "I hope I am not being too forward," she said.

"No, it's okay. To answer your question, Owen and I have never discussed it," Cristina admitted.

"What? You love each other. It is something that you should discuss. Isn't your program ending soon and you're heading back to San Francisco?" Juju said, surprised that they hadn't even talked about marriage and staying together.

"Yes, it is," Cristina said. "You're right, though, Owen and I have to talk."

"Talk about what?" Owen said, as he came into the kitchen to get a couple of beers for his dad and brother.

"Me and you," Cristina replied.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thanks for the reviews. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so.**


	20. Chapter 20 A Second Goodbye

"Me and you?" Owen repeated. "Yup," Cristina said. "But we will discuss it when we get back to our apartment."

"I am looking forward to that," Owen said. "Just gonna grab some beers for my bro and my dad. The game is going well." He picked up three beers and went back to the den.

Juju looked at Cristina. "Good that you are going to talk about it. So are you spending Christmas with us?"

"Um, I don't think so," Cristina said. "I will probably have to spend it with my parents in San Jose." Juju totally understood that. During her marriage to Oliver, she had found herself spending Christmas with his family more often than they ever spent it with her own. They were going to spend the New Year holiday with them, instead. Juju knew that Owen was going to be disappointed.

After they had cleaned up the kitchen, Cristina went to find Owen. He was sitting on an armchair, while his dad, brother and nephew were on the couch. Owen called her over and pulled her into his lap. She nestled against him, resting her head on his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you sleepy?" he asked. "A little," she replied. "You know what happens when you eat turkey." Her eyes glanced up at the television. "Who's winning?" she asked.

"Well, dad and I are backing one team while Oliver and Max are backing the other team," Owen told her.

"We're gonna win," Max shouted, cheekily. "Your team is the pits." Owen jokingly shook his fist at him.

"I will pick your side to win since you are my boyfriend," she said. "Even though I do not have a clue about football."

"Ah, I love a loyal girlfriend," Owen said, grinning at her. "Your loyalty will not go unrewarded. We will win. Can we just going to wait for the game to finish, then we can go home? I want to gloat when we win."

"Sure," she said, yawning a bit. "Why don't you take a nap on me?" he asked. She murmured and settled into him, before closing her eyes. He could tell by the evenness of her breathing that she had fallen asleep. He hugged her tightly.

An hour later, he gently shook her awake. "Hey, Cristina, wake up, the game is over," he whispered. She opened her eyes, sat up and stretched her arms out. "Who won?" she asked.

"We did," Owen said. "Dad and I have bragging rights this year. Last year, Oliver and Max's team won." She got up from his lap. His legs had fallen asleep, while she was sleeping on him, so he stretched them out before he got up.

"Are we going home, now?" she asked. He nodded. "Just want to tell Mom I'm leaving." Cristina and Owen went out in the living room, where they found Juju and Robin having a cup of tea.

"Hey, mom, we are on our way back to our apartment," he said, as he bent down and kissed his mother.

"Okay, son," Robin said, touching his face.

"Thanks for having me," Cristina said, as she, too, gave Robin a kiss.

"Nonsense, you are always welcome here. We are open for Christmas, too," Robin reminded. She was hoping that was a clear invitation to the young lady that she was expected to be there for Christmas. Cristina didn't say anything but just smiled because she knew that she would probably be on the west coast for Christmas. Owen and Cristina gave their farewells and headed down to their apartment. As they entered their own apartment, Cristina could not help but remark how convenient it was that his entire family lived in the same building. "You all don't even have to put on coats, jackets, hats and boots to visit family during the holidays. Just jump in the elevator and you are there."

She went to the kitchen and got herself a glass of water. He sat on the couch and patted the space next to him. She went and curled up next to him.

"So you want to talk?" he said. "About me and you?"

"Yes," she said. "Remember how hard it was when you left San Francisco. It was probably the worst thing that ever happened to me. I don't know about you but I was totally devastated. I couldn't sleep and I was crying at all hours of the night."

"It was hard for me, too," he replied. "I couldn't sleep either. I missed you so much. I wanted to call you all of the time but you said that we should make a clean break of it."

"Yeah, I know. I thought it would be easier if we weren't together, anymore but it wasn't. I buried myself in my work to fill the void in my life," she said, looking into his eyes. "I recognize now that I was wrong about breaking it off with you. I thought that this time, we would do it, differently."

He perked up. He was definitley interested in what she was going to say next. "Yes," he said. "What do you propose?" He was hoping that she would say that she would move to New York and stay with him.

"Well, you do realize that my time here is limited. The program ends in four weeks, the week before Christmas, in fact and I will be leaving that weekend," she said. Owen was shocked. He was not expecting her to say that.

"So you won't be here for Christmas?" he asked, his voice cracked a bit. She shook her head. "No, I am spending Christmas with my family in San Jose. I need to see my parents and my brother and sister. I won't have seen any of them in three months."

"Oh," he said. He knew he was being selfish when he wanted her to stay for the holidays. She also had a family, too. "Okay, I understand."

"Yeah but me leaving doesn't mean that we are over," she said. "I was thinking that maybe we could try a long-distance relationship."

"Long distance?" he said, softly. That was not the ideal situation for him. What he wanted was the both of them in one place, living together and building a future.

"Yeah, things are going good for me in San Francisco and I know that you are doing very well in New York," she said. "It seems the best compromise that we have is a long-distance relationship. One of us will fly to the other, maybe once or twice a month."

He blinked. That would mean that they would only see each other twice per month. That was not sounding good at all.

"What if you stay?" he said, with pleading eyes. "Here with me. You can get a job in the head office. Apply for a vacancy here."

"Stay?" she repeated. She hadn't thought of doing that because her life was still back in San Francisco with her house, her family and her job.

"I don't think I am ready to uproot my life from San Francisco as yet," she continued. She could see the disappointment in his face. She took his face into her small hands. "I am sorry. I am just not ready but I want us to stay together in this relationship. I don't want to break up with you, again. I want us to try a long-distance relationship and see if it can work. Then, maybe further down the line, we can come to an agreement about getting together and deciding where we want to live. As far as I can tell, your roots in New York are very deep with your parents and your family so close together. It is the same for me in California. My parents are there, my home is there. You're asking me to give it up and I am just not ready. Maybe I will be ready in the future. Maybe you will be ready to give up yours. But right now, neither of us is ready. I know that."

What she said was true. He would find it hard to leave New York and he knew that it was probably be the same for her.

"Okay," he said. "Long distance. We will try it for a bit. But Cristina, you do know that it is only a temporary solution. We must come to some decision, some time in the future, if we want to be together. It is going to be very hard for me, not waking up with you every morning."

"Me, too. So we've agreed that we are going to try it," she said. He nodded. He loved her very much and there was no way he was going to give her up a second time. Long distance tested the mettle and strength of many relationships and he hoped theirs was strong enough to withstand it.

She snuggled against him and he put his arm around her. If she had looked at his face, she would have seen the uncertainty in his eyes.

* * *

The next few weeks passed faster than Owen wanted. He was savoring every minute he shared with her. Everywhere he looked, he saw people in festive spirits while he carried the heaviest of hearts. She had not left and he was already starting to miss her.

At the Christmas party, he stood in one corner, with a drink in his hand, watching her and her friends whoop it up. It was just their last day in the program and they seemed ready to go back home. Tony Jacobson from HR came and stood next to him. "Well, they seem happy."

"Yes, they do," Owen said, taking a sip. No one at the office, other than her peers, were even aware that he and Cristina were together.

"They are a good bunch," Tony said. "Very smart. I have no doubt that some of them will moving up the company, very fast. Something like you, Owen. Some would say you have had a meteoric rise. Divisional manager, already and only 30."

"Aw, Tony, you flatter me too much," Owen said. Since he had the ear of the HR head, he decided to ask him whether there were going to be any vacancies opening up in the New York office.

"So, Tony," he ventured. "Are there any vacancies here at HQ that will be opening up soon? Maybe one of those young managers might be interested in staying in New York."

"Hmm, not right now. You know how the economy is. We've only been hiring, when someone leaves or retires, if no one in the company can fill the position. Our preference is to promote our employees into the position," Tony said.

"Can you keep me in the loop about that?" Owen said. "When new vacancies open."

"Sure," Tony said. "Do you have someone in mind to fill the position?"

"I certainly do," Owen said. He smiled for the first time in days.

The next day, they spent it together, making love and just enjoying each other's company. Early on Sunday morning, he took her to the airport. She checked in her suitcases and he walked her to the security line. There, he took her in his arms in a tight embrace. They both had tears in their eyes but it was not like it was when they had said goodbye that first time. This time, they both knew that they were still together. They kissed for a long time before he finally let her go. He watched until she went in and he could see her no more.

* * *

It was Christmas Eve night at his parents' apartment. They had just had dinner and he was sitting near the fireplace, drinking a cup of eggnog. His mom came and sat beside him.

"You miss her, don't you?" Robin said, resting her hand on her son's back.

"Every waking moment, mom," he said. "I talk to her every day but it is not the same. I spoke to her this morning. She told me that she was going to her parents' house for Christmas Eve dinner and staying there, overnight. I am listening to her talk and all I could think about is being able to touch her and kiss her."

"Oh, Owen," his mom said. "I can tell that while your body is here, your heart is somewhere else. Maybe you should go see her for Christmas."

"What? " Owen said, surprised that his mother would make such a suggestion, given that she loved having all the family around for any holiday.

"Yes, go see her. Pack your bags, get a flight to San Francisco, drive to San Jose, surprise her," his mother said. "I am sure she would be happy to see you."

"Are you sure about me not being here for Christmas?" he asked.

"Yes, I am very sure. Owen, I just want you to be happy. Go see the love of your life," his mom said.

"Thank you, Mom," he said, as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. He put down his cup of eggnog and headed straight to his apartment and packed a suitcase. He then got online and booked a flight for Christmas morning.

Early Christmas morning, when people all across New York were getting up and opening their presents, he was rushing off to the airport, armed with his suitcase and her Christmas present. It had arrived early on Christmas Eve and he had planned to Fedex it to her but now, he could give it to her in person.

The five hour flight seemed to be taking forever, Owen thought. He was so eager to get to San Francisco. He rented a car at the airport and then he realized he didn't even know where Cristina's parents lived. He couldn't call her because then it wouldn't be a surprise. He called Janet and was most surprised when a familiar voice answered.

"Louis, what are you doing answering Janet's phone, as if I didn't know," Owen said, laughing.

"Owen Hunt, I must ask you why are you calling my girlfriend?" Louis said.

"I am trying to get Cristina's parents' address in San Jose," Owen asked.

"Okay, hold on," Louis said. "Janet, phone for you. It is Owen; he wants Cristina's parents' address."

A breathless Janet came on the phone and gave him the address. "So she doesn't know you are here, right?" Janet asked.

"Nope and don't spoil my surprise. I didn't fly 2600 miles to have my surprise spoiled," he warned.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed. Merry Christmas, Owen," Janet said, happily, before she hung up.

Owen jumped into his rental car, put in the address on the GPS and was on his way. The 50 minute drive to San Jose flew by fast. He pulled up in front of a Mediterranean style two-storey home. He could imagine Cristina, running around the front lawn as a little kid.

With a fair amount of nervousness, he went up to the front door and rang the bell. The door opened and he had to look down at the person who stood there. It was a small girl, around four years old, with dark, curly hair framing her tiny face. He could not help but smile. It was like seeing Cristina as a child.

"Hello," he said. "I have come to see Cristina." The little girl nodded and disappeared. She reappeared two minutes later, dragging Cristina by the hand.

Cristina's mouth dropped open.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. Thanks for leaving your reviews. I do appreciate them.**


	21. Chapter 21 Christmas with the Yangs

"Owen!" she shrieked, as she ran to hug him. She had a little bit of flour on her face and he wiped it off before he kissed her on the mouth. The little girl stared up at them, wondering who was this tall, blonde man.

"I can't believe you are here," she screamed. "I thought you were spending Christmas with your family."

"I thought so, too, but Mom saw how miserable I was and she told me that I should visit you," he said, holding her tightly. "She knew where my heart was."

"How did you find this house?" she asked, knowing that she never mentioned where her parents lived in San Jose.

"Oh, I got it from Janet, who was more than happy to be part of the surprise. It seems she and Louis are spending Christmas, together," Owen said. "I am glad that they are happy."

"Yeah, me too. Janet has been looking for someone for quite a while, now. Interesting that her one-night stand also turned out to be a relationship, just like me," she said. The little girl tugged at Cristina's apron. "Oh, before I forget, I would like to introduce you to Vivian Stone, my niece. She is four years old and as you can tell she is my mini-clone. She is my sister's daughter."

Vivian smiled, broadly as she was being introduced. "Merry Christmas, Vivian," Owen said, solemnly, as he shook the little girl's hand.

"Pleased to meet you," Vivian said. "What's your name?"

"Owen Hunt, at your service, Miss Stone," Owen said, giving a little bow. The tiny girl giggled. Owen looked at Cristina. "When I first saw her, I thought it was looking at you as a child."

"Yeah," Cristina said. "Everyone says that. Oh, shoot, we have been standing here at this door and I forgot to tell you to come on in. Let me introduce you to my family."

Owen came in and followed Cristina to the living room. "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Owen Hunt. He has come for a visit. Owen, this is my father, Henry," she said. A small Asian man with greying, curly hair stood up and shook Owen's hand. He had a puzzled expression on his face, as he peered at his daughter. Cristina brushed it off with a smile.

She continued, "This is my brother-in-law, Richard Stone. He is Vivian's dad." A tall man with sandy hair came and shook Owen's hand.

"Finally, this is my brother, Lawrence," Cristina said. A young Asian man, holding a small baby in his arms, came forward and greeted him.

"Nice, little sister, you've brought around your boyfriend. Does this mean that you will be married, soon, just like the rest of us?" Lawrence said, with a smirk. Cristina gave him a glare. "Ignore him, Owen. Come on; let me introduce you to the female side of the family. They are all in the kitchen." Owen dutifully followed Cristina and Vivian to the kitchen.

"Hey, what is that strange look from your father all about?" Owen asked. Cristina sighed. "I never told them about you."

"What?" he said. "We've been together for nearly a year, now and you never mentioned me."

"I am a very private person," she said. "I don't really discuss my love life with them." She knew that Owen had told his family about her from very early on, so he probably was shocked that her family did not know about him.

"Oh, my God," Owen said. "Me coming here is probably a huge surprise for them. I feel now like if I am imposing on you guys." Cristina shook her head. "No, no. It is okay," she replied. "They were going to have to meet you at some time, anyway." Owen went into the kitchen, nervously. As soon as they entered, three pairs of eyes gave them the once-over.

Cristina took her hand into his before she spoke. "Mom, Carolina and Adalynn, this is my boyfriend, Owen Hunt." The older woman looked shocked but she recovered quickly as she came forward. Her hair was just as dark as Cristina's but it was straight.

"Good to meet you," she said, as she wiped her hands on her apron, before she shook his hand. "The name is Helen." She had a no-nonsense attitude about her and Owen liked that. "I trust that you will be joining us for lunch."

Cristina answered for him, "Yes, he is, mom." Owen gave her a grateful look.

"This is my sister, Carolina. She is Vivian's mom," Cristina said. Carolina, who was holding a two-year-old boy in her arms, came forward and shook Owen's hand. "This is Brody," Carolina said, introducing her son.

"Hey there, little fella," Owen said, as the little boy grabbed on to Owen's finger. Owen noticed that Cristina's sister's hair was just as dark but she, too, had straight hair like her mom. It seemed that Cristina inherited her curls from her dad, as did young Vivian.

"Finally, this is my sister in law, Adalynn. She is Lawrence's wife and she is the mother of baby James, whom you saw with my brother," Cristina said. Adalynn shyly shook Owen's hand and just said, "Welcome."

"I am so happy to meet all of you," Owen said, smiling at the ladies, who were all dazzled by this strapping, handsome young man.

"Mom, I am just going to show Owen my room," Cristina said. "Let him see a bit of my childhood." As they left, they started hearing the low murmuring among the women in the kitchen. "I guess you made quite an impression on the ladies of my family."

He grinned, "I hope so. I want your family to like me." He followed her up the stairs. It was a medium-sized room and reflected elements of when Cristina was a child and as a teenager. It was mint green and white. They both sat on the bed, as he looked around. There were movie posters and a Cornell pennant on the wall. There were academic trophies on a shelf, as well as high school pictures. There was one that was clearly a prom picture.

"Who is this guy?" he asked. "Your prom date?"

"That is Austin Schaffer. I think he lives in LA, now and owns a car dealership," Cristina said. "He wasn't my boyfriend, just a prom date. If that is what you wanted to know. To be honest, I really didn't have a high school boyfriend, as you can tell from my academic trophies that I was too busy studying. I did have a boyfriend in college but we broke up when he went back home to Montana."

There was a picture of a small, curly-haired girl in a periwinkle blue dress on Cristina's bedside table. "Is this Vivian?" he asked.

"No, that's me," she said. "You can see why people call Vivian my mini-clone." It was as if the little girl heard her name because she poked in her head from behind the door.

"Come, Vivian," Cristina said. Vivian came in and climbed on to Cristina's lap. "Vivian and I slept in this room, last night. Her mom, dad and little brother were in Carolina's room, while my brother, his wife and their baby were in his old room." Owen found himself smiling at the sight of curly-haired Vivian sitting in curly-haired Cristina's lap. He hoped that one day, they could have their own little girl, who would have her mother's curls. Then, he remembered they had lost their baby, earlier that year. If there had not been a miscarriage, it was more than likely they would have had a baby, this Christmas. He reached over and squeezed her hand.

He spent the rest of the morning with the men, while Cristina and Vivian went back to the kitchen to help with the lunch preparation.

"So, Owen," Richard said. "You work with Cristina?" He felt a fair amount of sympathy for Owen, given that he, too, was once under intense scrutiny by all of the Yangs, when Carolina first introduced him to the family. Carolina had kept him a secret for a full year before she introduced him. He could understand how Owen was feeling.

"Yes," Owen said. "But I work in the New York office."

"So how long have you guys been together?" Lawrence asked.

"About 10 months," Owen replied. Cristina's father, Henry threw his hands in the air. "Ten months and this is the first she has said anything about it. Gosh, my daughters certainly keep their private lives very private."

"At least I didn't do that," Lawrence said. "I introduced Adalynn after three months."

"Yes, you did, son," Henry said. "Owen, it is not your fault. I am just exasperated by my daughter. That's all. It has nothing to do with you."

Adalynn came from the dining room and announced that lunch was ready. Everybody filed into the dining room. Brody sat in his high chair, while Vivian's chair had a cushion on it, so she would be able to see over the table. Baby James was not there, as he was napping in a bedroom. Everyone took their seat. Cristina sat in between Vivian and Owen. The little girl insisted that she sit next to her aunt.

"Everything looks wonderful, Helen," Henry said.

"Thank you," his wife replied. "Not just me, though. Cristina, Carolina and Adalynn all did their part."

"We thank all of the ladies for their efforts," Richard said. "I am sure it will taste as delicious as it looks.| Carolina patted her husband on his back. He always supported her efforts.

Indeed, it was a delicious lunch and Owen stuffed himself. While there were traditional American elements, they also included Korean dishes, too. He also had an enormously wonderful time, learning about the Yang family. When most of the food had been eaten, he helped clear the dishes and carried them to the kitchen. Cristina was getting ready to wash up the dishes, when her mom said, "No, Cristina, you and your young man can have some time together. We will take care of this."

"Thanks, mom," she said. They went up to her bedroom and lay on her bed. "Hey, I have something for you," he said. "It's your Christmas present." He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out the small box. "I only received it on Christmas Eve and I was going to Fedex it to you, but since I came, I could give it to you in person. I had it especially made for you."

She opened the box and was completely dazzled by opal and diamond earrings. Each earring comprised of an oval opal and surrounded by small diamonds. "They're beautiful, Owen," she said, as she put them on, immediately. "Opals are my birthstone, you know," she said.

"Yes, I know, that is why I chose that stone," he said. She got up and looked at herself in the mirror. The iridescence of the opals were lovely against the sparkling diamonds.

"I don't have your present," she said. "It's at my house. I really didn't expect you so I didn't bring it."

"That's okay," he said. "When we drive down to San Francisco tonight, you can give it to me."

"How long are you staying?" she asked. "Until New Year's day. I will go back in the evening. I have to go into work, the next day," he said. "So we have about a week together."

"That is the best news I have heard all day," she said, as she came back to him and sat on his lap, while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, their lips and tongues hungrily sought each other's. They were still kissing, when the door opened and a small person stepped inside. Vivian didn't say anything but just stood there, watching.

Owen caught sight of the little girl from the corner of his eye. He broke off the kiss, immediately. "Cristina, look," he said, gesturing his head towards the door.

"Hey, Vivian, what's up?" she said. The girl took off her shoes and climbed up on to the bed. "I am here for my nap," Vivian said.

"Oh, okay," Cristina said, as she tucked the girl under the covers. "Sleep tight." She and Owen left the room. There was no way they were going to get any privacy with Vivian around.

"I think it is time we head down to San Francisco," he said. "I desperately need to get some loving."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Cristina said. They hurried down the stairs and bade goodbye to everyone in the house, before they each jumped in their separate cars and headed to San Francisco. It was certainly going to be a wonderful week, together.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments. Thanks for taking the time to do so.**


	22. Chapter 22 The Plot

It was a totally blissful holiday week in San Francisco. When she dropped him off at the airport on the evening of New Year's Day, they held each other, tightly, as long as possible. It was déjà vu once again, as she watched him leave. But this time, they both knew that they were still together.

She was in her office, the next day, reading a funny email from Owen. She was grinning, when Janet came into the office.

"Hey, Janet," Cristina said. "What is up? How was your week with Louis?"

"AH-MAZING!" Janet said. "Do you notice anything different about me?" She spun around for Cristina, then placed her left hand on her hip. The sparkling diamond almost blinded Cristina.

"You're engaged!" Cristina screamed and got up to hug her friend. "Congratulations. When did it happen?"

"Yesterday. New Year's Eve. We had gone to his club's NYE party and as everybody was singing and whooping it up, he suddenly dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring. He said, 'marry me' and all I said was 'yes, yes, yes.'"

"I am so happy for you, Janet," Cristina said. "That is just so wonderful. So when you get married, where are you going to live?"

"I am moving to Las Vegas," Janet said. "He doesn't know it yet but I want to start a family, right away. I am already 29 years old."

"You will make a great mom, Janet. You've always taken care of me," Cristina said.

"You're like the little sister I never had," Janet said. "As my little sister, I am expecting you to be my one and only maid of honor. What about you and Owen? Any thoughts on the marriage front? He was here the entire week. Did you talk about it?" Cristina shook her head, as she answered.

"I am not sure if either of us is ready for that leap as yet," Cristina said. "We're still trying out the long distance relationship. I am going east in two weeks and then he will make the trek west, two weeks after that. So we are going to share the traveling."

"That is a lot of traveling. It is a good thing that Vegas is right there," Janet said. "I can go see Louis, every weekend."

"Yeah, you are lucky," Cristina said, wistfully. She took Janet's hand into hers and examined the ring.

"I am pretty sure you are going to get your own, soon," Janet said. Cristina laughed it off to pretend that she didn't really care but deep down inside, she knew that she did.

* * *

Now that she and Owen were apart, their days were filled with numerous phone calls, emails and text messages. At night, they would Skype each other and talk. She told him about Janet and Louis' engagement. He said that Louis had called him and told him and asked him to be his best man. Cristina laughed and said that she was Janet's maid of honor. The wedding, they were told, was going to be on Valentine's Day in Las Vegas. They both laughed when they realized it had come full circle. Janet and Louis had met in Vegas and they were going to get married in Vegas. Even though neither of them mentioned it, they both thought about their own situation and if someday, they too were going to get married to each other.

* * *

Since Louis was an events planner by trade and had an army of staff at his behest, he took over the bulk of the wedding planning for which Janet was extremely grateful. All she had to worry about was acquiring both her dress and a suitable bridesmaid dress for Cristina. As Janet tried on dress after dress, they each oohed and aahed about each one, until they finally found the one – a strapless, lace mermaid dress that clung to Janet's curves.

"You look gorgeous, Janet," Cristina said, appreciatively. "Louis won't be able to resist you."

"Thank you, my young friend. Hey, why don't you try this one?" Janet said. "I think this screams you." Cristina took a good look at the dress. It was certainly her style. "But I am not the one getting married," she protested. "We are just here to get a dress for you and a lavender bridesmaid dress for me."

"Oh, come on, try it," Janet encouraged. "It is so much fun." Cristina sighed, before she agreed. Janet helped her put it on. "Oh, my, Cristina, you look fabulous," Janet exclaimed. Cristina twirled around in front of the mirror to catch all angles of the dress. The sales associate, who had been out of the room, stepped back in and was surprised to see the two young ladies in wedding dresses.

"Am I mistaken or are you both going to be brides?" she asked. "I just brought the bridesmaid dresses for you to try."

"Oh, no," Cristina said. "It isn't me. Janet just wanted me to try it on."

"Well, miss, that dress seems to have been made for you. It would need no alteration," the associate said. "Well, honey, when you do get married, maybe you will consider this dress. But for now, let us just try out these bridesmaid dresses."

Cristina slipped off the dress and hung it back up. It was such a beautiful dress. She would keep it in mind. She then turned her attention to trying on the bridesmaid dresses. Janet noted Cristina's reaction to the dress and the wheels started turning in her head. As Cristina tried on the dresses, Janet excused herself and went to the bathroom to make two calls. She returned to the dressing room, with a triumphant look on her face. Cristina was confused about why Janet had that Cheshire cat look.

"What's up, Janet? Do you like this dress? I like this one the best," Cristina said, admiring herself in the Grecian-style lavender dress.

"Yes, you look beautiful," Janet said, with a smile. "We will get that one."

At the cash register, Janet paid for three dresses, unbeknownst to Cristina. "I will pick them up, when they have been altered," she told the sales associate. The sales associate nodded, conspiratorially.

* * *

It was the weekend of Janet and Louis' wedding. Janet had already been in Vegas for the week, dealing with preparations. Cristina was going to fly there, with her bridesmaid dress in a garment bag. She was actually going to meet Owen, there. He was flying directly from New York to Las Vegas for the wedding. She checked into her room and was greeted by a dozen red roses in a vase. There was a note that said, "Beautiful roses for my beauty."

Cristina was excited to see Owen. She hadn't seen him in two weeks, so the wedding was actually doubling as a scheduled visit from Owen. She had unpacked and was taking a luxurious bath and had fallen asleep, when she was awoken by someone's lips on her forehead.

"Hey," he said. She opened her eyes. "Hey, yourself," she said. "Glad you are here. You want to join me?"

"Of course," he said, as he stripped off his clothes and slipped in behind her in the oversized tub. He gently caressed her breasts with soapy hands, playing with her nipples until they hardened, underneath his fingers. She purred as she leaned back into him, allowing him to gently nip her neck. "You do lots of things to me, Owen Hunt." She turned around and pressed her lips against his. He forced her lips apart so she would accept his tongue. She reached down to feel his already stiffened member. "I do believe that somebody is really glad to see me," she giggled.

"You are certainly right about that," Owen said, as he positioned her on top of him, so he could enter her. As she worked herself on top of him, he closed his eyes to feel her walls around him. The bathwater gently sloshed around them, in time with their movements. "Oh, God," he said, when he felt himself come inside of her. He opened his eyes to see her smiling at him. He pulled her in for a kiss.

* * *

Owen attended Louis' bachelor party that night, while Cristina went to Janet's bachelorette party. While Louis had his bachelor party at his own nightclub, the women had theirs elsewhere.

"So you're getting married, Louis," Owen said. "You will be a married man by tomorrow."

"Well, so could you," Louis said. "Everything is in place for it to happen."

"That is only if she says yes," Owen said. "She may not take too kindly to the surprise."

"Well, it better happen," Louis said. "Your family and her family are flying in, early tomorrow."

"Won't it be embarrassing if she says no?" Owen chuckled.

"Never gonna happen, my friend," Louis said. "She would be mad to turn down a handsome, successful fellow like you."

"I hope so," Owen said. "I really hope so."

At the bachelorette party, Cristina turned to Janet. "How excited are you?"

"Very," Janet admitted, with shining eyes. "Tomorrow, I am going to be Mrs. Janet Reynaud."

"I am very happy for you, Janet," Cristina said, giving her friend a hug. "Me, too," Janet replied.

* * *

The next day was the wedding. Cristina had joined Janet in her hotel room to get dressed. She gave Owen a quick kiss and told him that the next time, she would see him would be at the wedding. He sleepily nodded and turned in the bed.

"Okay, sleepy, don't be late for the wedding," she said. She took up her bridesmaid dress up to Janet's hotel room. When she got there, Janet was already having breakfast.

"Come on in, let's eat," Janet said. "We have a long day ahead of us." She handed a plate to Cristina. "Make yourself some tea."

"When are the hair and make-up stylists going to arrive?" Cristina asked. "Not for another hour. They will have to do the two of us. What do you want your hair to look like?"

"I am going to have it loose," Janet said. "What about you?"

"Probably up. I do have a lot of hair," Cristina said. "Don't want it flying all over the place."

"You have the best hair I have ever seen," Janet said, appreciatively. "Why, thank you," Cristina said, as she bit into a slice of buttery toast.

* * *

As soon as Cristina had left, Owen had opened his eyes. He really wasn't sleeping. He was excited, yet filled with a sense of trepidation. He took a shower and brushed his teeth. He changed into a track suit and picked up his tuxedo and headed to Louis' hotel room.

He knocked on the door. "Coming," Louis said, opening the door. "Have some breakfast." Owen gratefully sat down and started wolfing down some egss.

"Hold on there, big fella," Louis said. "Not so fast." Owen stopped.

"I am just nervous," he said. "So when are you going to trek across there?" Louis said.

"I thought about it and I was going to get all dressed up in my tuxedo and under the pretext of dropping off your present to Janet, I would go over there. Then, I will pop the question," Owen said, his hand shaking a little bit as he dug into the pocket of his jacket for the small velvet box.

"Good idea," Louis said, opening a drawer. "I have Janet's present, right here. It is a string of pearls that she can wear."

A couple of hours later, after Janet and Cristina had got their make-up and hair done, it was time to put on their dresses. Cristina noted that Janet had two garment bags. "Why do you have two garment bags?" Cristina asked. Janet was not sure quite what to say, when there was a knock on the door. Janet breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to say anything about the second wedding dress, until Owen got there.

"Hey, it's me, Owen. I brought across Louis' wedding present," Owen said. Cristina opened the door. "Hey. You look so handsome in your tuxedo," she said.

"I see you are all still in your robes," Owen said. He handed Janet her present. She opened the box and oohed. "Those pearls are from your husband to be and he says that he would like you to wear them at the wedding."

"You can tell my husband to be that I will wear them proudly," Janet said.

"Okay, we will see you in a bit," Cristina said. "No," Owen said. "I have something for you, too."

"What?" Cristina said, most interestedly. She hadn't expected a present. Owen dug into his pocket for the box, flipped it open and dropped down on one knee. "Cristina Yang, will you marry me and be my wife?"

Cristina was totally dumbfounded.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so. Reviews are awesome.**


	23. Chapter 23 Double Wedding

"Well, say something," Owen said. "Don't leave me hanging here."

"Are you sure about this?" Cristina asked. "More sure than anything in my life," he replied. "Now I am going to ask you again. Will you marry me?" She stared at the beautiful cushion-cut ring, took it out of the box and slipped it on her finger. It fit perfectly. She still hadn't said anything as yet, so Owen was getting a little anxious.

"Cristina," he said. "Tell me."

"Oh, I thought you would know that the answer was yes, when I put it on my finger. Yes, Owen, yes," she said, He got up from the ground and gently kissed her lips.

"Yippee," Janet shrieked. "Double wedding. Good thing that I bought the second dress."

"What?" Cristina asked, puzzled. "Ta-da," Janet said, as she unzipped the second garmet bag. "This is your dress. The one you tried on in the bridal shop. When it fit perfectly, I knew it was a sign. A lightbulb moment went off in my had. I called Louis, immediately and asked him if he would mind if we did a double wedding. He had no problem with it. So then I called Owen and asked him. He said yes, immediately. So I bought the dress for you and Owen reimbursed me the cost of the dress."

"A double wedding? We're getting married, right now!" Cristina said, in an incredulous tone. "What about our families? Won't they be mad if we get married without them?"

"No, they're here," Owen said. "They all flew in this morning."

"What? Our families are here?" Cristina could not believe it. "You all got them here. What if I had said no?"

"Well, in the event of that, they would have just been invited to Janet and Louis' wedding and they would have had a grand old time," Owen said. "But you, babe, did not let me down. So the wedding is going to be extra special for them."

"Wait a minute. Don't we need a marriage license?" she asked.

"Well, we can go down to the Clark County Marriage Bureau and get it now. We have to show ID," Owen said. "So just put on your sweat pants and shirt and let's just head down there." Cristina quickly changed and they were out of there in a jiffy. Louis had a car waiting for them and they were in and out of there in five minutes, as Louis had called ahead, so they didn't have to wait.

They were gone for about a half-hour, by the time they got back. "Okay, Owen, you have to go now. You can't see me in my wedding dress," she said. Then she remembered, "What about wedding rings?"

"I have those. Don't you worry about that," he said, as he walked away from the bridal hotel room. When she opened the door, she was taken aback by the sight of Janet in full bridal regalia. She was also wearing her string of pearls that her fiancé had sent her.

"Janet, you look beautiful," she said. "You will, too," Janet said. "Sonia, can you help Cristina put on her wedding dress?" The dresser nodded as she took down Cristina's wedding dress, which had already been steamed to remove the wrinkles.

Cristina was very excited as Sonia helped her into the dress. As it did in the bridal shop, the dress fit perfectly. "I just knew it," Janet said. "That dress was made for you. You look stunning." Cristina looked at herself in the mirror.

"Oh, my God, when I woke up this morning, I thought I would just be a bridesmaid in your wedding. Now, I am the one getting married," Cristina said. "I don't look half-bad."

"Stop selling yourself short," Janet said. "You look beautiful. Owen will be stunned when you come down that aisle to marry him."

"I guess I will just get a touch-up of the makeup," Cristina said, as the make-up artist came forward to touch up her face. "Just a little bit more lipstick and I guess I should be ready."

There was a knock on the door. "As long as it is not Owen or Louis, you can come in," Janet yelled. The door opened to reveal Janet's dad and Cristina's dad. They were both holding bridal bouquets in their hands.

"Dad," Cristina shrieked. "It is so good to see you." She ran and kissed her dad on his cheek.

"When Janet called me and told me about this, I was totally floored," her dad said. "I hope you are very happy."

"Yes, dad, I am," Cristina said. "I know it is all sudden but I believe this is the right thing. Where's Mom?"

"As long as you are happy, I am happy. Mom is downstairs with the rest of the family," her dad said. "The florists gave us these bouquets to bring to you all." He handed her the bouquet of purple, pink and white flowers. Janet's dad had already handed her the bouquet. "Cristina, I hope you like the flowers I chose," she said.

"I do, very much," Cristina said, smelling the flowers. "Kinda funny, though, I had nothing to do with the planning of my own wedding. But it is all lovely. Thank you, Janet."

"Well, beautiful daughters, we have come to take you downstairs to get married," Janet's dad said. He offered his daughter his arm, and so did Cristina's dad. They took the elevator down to the room to where the wedding was to take place.

Since neither of them had a bridesmaid, it was just going to be them going up the aisle with their dads. "You go first," Cristina said. "After all, I am just riding your coat tails. I wasn't even getting married until an hour and a half ago." Janet laughed, as she and dad stood at the entrance and the music started. They made their way up the aisle, before Janet's dad handed her over to Louis.

Then, it was Cristina's turn. "Ready, baby?" Henry Yang asked his daughter.

"More ready than I will ever be," she replied. When Owen saw her, his heart was just filled with so much joy. It was like a dream come true. She looked beautiful in her wedding dress. When her dad handed her over to him, he had tears in his eyes.

"You look beautiful," he whispered. She smiled at him and mouthed a "thank you." It was a little odd, this double wedding, with the minister repeating vows and having two ring exchanges. When he was through and told them that they could kiss their brides, Louis dipped Janet to kiss her, while Owen took Cristina's face in his hands to kiss her. The kissing went on for a longer time than the minister expected. "Ahem," he said but no one stopped. "Ahem," he said, louder. This time, he got their attention and everyone grinned, sheepishly at him.

"I now pronounce you husbands and wives. Ladies and gentlemen, let us give a warm round of applause for Mr. and Mrs. Louis Reynaud and Mr. and Mrs. Owen Hunt."

* * *

The reception was being held in the banquet hall of the hotel. It was as beautifully decorated as the more intimate room, where the wedding ceremony was held. After posing for numerous pictures, the two couples finally made their way to the hall, where they all endured embarrassing stories about themselves from a variety of speakers.

After the speeches, Cristina and Owen were finally bombarded by the rest of their family, who offered kisses, hugs and congratulations. Little Vivian tugged at Cristina's dress. "Aunty Cristina, you look so pretty," she said.

"Thank you, Vivian," she said. She bent down to give the little girl a kiss. "So do you." When Owen saw Cristina and Vivian together, he could not help but think of the little girl that they would have, some day. "Let's grab something to eat," Cristina said. "Don't worry about that," Owen said. "We are going to be served. Just need to get back to our table." Vivian clung to her aunt's hand, so they had no choice but to take her with them. Vivian sat happily between Owen and Cristina and put away a fair amount of food for a four-year-old.

When the band singer announced that it was time for the bride-groom dance, Owen got up and offered his hand to the bride. They joined Louis and Janet on the dance floor. "Oh," Cristina said, burying her face in Owen's shoulder. "This is so embarrassing. Everyone is looking at us dance."

"Put your head up, Cristina. I am proud to be dancing with my bride, whom I love very much," he said. She put her head up and he kissed her, again. Then, she and her dad shared the father-daughter dance. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look, Cristina?" Henry said. "Yes, dad," she said. She kissed her father on his cheek.

"Cristina, I need to talk to you about something," he said. "Now that you are a married woman, the question I have to ask is where are you going to live. As far as I can tell, you are both still tied to the coasts in which you currently live. " In all of the excitement of the day, Cristina realized that she and Owen had not even discussed that. They were now a married couple, but their circumstances had not changed in terms of their jobs or their residences. She knitted her brows, as she thought about it. Her dad was right. It was something they really needed to discuss. Maybe they should have discussed it, even before they took this big, huge step of getting married. She was worried.

After the father-daughter dance, Owen could read Cristina's anxious expression. Something was bothering her. He took her hand. "What's wrong?" He had been so happy, earlier, that she didn't want to bring down the mood.

"There is something we have to discuss but it can wait after the reception," she said. She gave him what she thought was a bright smile. But Owen could see that the smile did not reach her eyes.

"Okay," he said. "I promise that we will discuss it, when we get back to our room." She nodded. She was saved from further discussion, when Vivian appeared and demanded that her new Uncle Owen dance with her. Owen laughed, as he allowed the little girl to rest her tiny feet on his shoes and together, they danced.

Cristina returned to her table, where she found Janet removing her shoes and kicking them under the table. "Oh, freedom," Janet said, as she stretched out her toes. "How are you doing, my fellow bride?"

"Okay, I guess," Cristina replied. "What? You have to say fantastic, ecstatic. You can't be just okay," Janet said.

"Just a little worried," Cristina said, as she observed Owen and Vivian having a fun time on the floor.

"About what?" Janet said. "It has been a glorious day. What is there to be worried about?"

"In all of the excitement of the engagement and the wedding, Owen and I never discussed what is going to happen, afterwards. After we put away the wedding dress and the tuxedo, where are we going to live? We're still based on opposite coasts," she explained.

"Oh," Janet said. "Yeah, there is that." Cristina looked at her friend, "What are you going to do?"

"I am quitting my job and I am going to move to Vegas and work for Louis in the business," Janet said. "He is planning to open a second nightclub and I am going to help him."

"Oh, that is totally awesome," Cristina replied. "That is probably going to be so much fun."

"Yeah, I know," Janet said. "I am so excited."

"At least you are settled," Cristina said. "I don't know about me."

"Cristina Yang, or is it Cristina Hunt, I don't know if you want my opinion but I am going to give it you, anyway," Janet said. "I think you should move to New York and be with your man. I know you are attached to your grandpa's house, so keep it and rent it out. You will make a ton of money with that house. Find a job in New York. There is no reason why you have to work at Woolmers. There are lots of other jobs in New York. If I have offered too much opinion for you, I am sorry but that is what I think."

"Thank you, Janet," Cristina said. "Thank you for feeling free to express what you think. Only your good friends can actually be honest with you. But it gives me a lot to think about." She looked at Owen and Vivian, having a second dance on the floor. He was such a good, kind man, she thought, and would make a wonderful father.

She decided to have the discussion with Owen, later. She was no longer a single individual. They were a married couple and would now have to make decisions, together. It was a terrifying prospect but exciting, too.

Owen, still dancing with little Vivian, looked over at her and smiled. "Help," he joked. They both laughed.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so. It helps in the thinking process.**


	24. Chapter 24 A New City, A New Life

They didn't get a chance to talk after the wedding. That's because Owen whisked off Cristina to their honeymoon destination at the Four Seasons in Bora Bora. Cristina didn't think that they would get a honeymoon but Owen and Janet had worked together to ensure that Cristina had the week off. She was completely enchanted by the over-water bungalows at the resort.

"This is so beautiful, Owen," as she stared out at the miles of open ocean from their bungalow window. "Just two days ago, I would have thought I would probably be heading back to San Francisco by now and not be here in Bora Bora on my honeymoon." He came up and hugged her from behind. He kissed her on her neck.

"So no regrets about marrying me? I know it happened all of a sudden," he said. She turned around and kissed him. "None whatsoever, Owen. But I do want to discuss one thing," she said.

"What?" he said, as he buried his face in her hair. "What happens afterwards?" she said. "When this honeymoon ends and we go back to our normal, everyday lives?" He lifted his head.

She continued, "We are a married couple and yet, for all intents and purposes, our lives are still on two separate coasts. There is no getting around the fact that one of us has got to give. The question is which one of us?"

He looked deep into her eyes. "Honestly, I would hope that you would move to New York with me. I know how difficult it would be for you to move, especially with your family there and I know how close you are to all of them."

"Yes, I would miss them very much," Cristina said, thinking about her parents.

"Then there is your beautiful house," he said. "Your grandpa left you that house and I know you love it very much."

"Yeah, he left it to me because I am the youngest in the family and he thought I should have something," she said. "I love that house an awful lot."

"Then, you would have to give up your job at Woolmers," he said. She looked deflated when he said that. "So those are all of the cons. What about the pros? We will be together. My family loves you very much. There is so much to see and do in New York. We have a beautiful apartment with a city skyline view. The museums, the restaurants, the shows are all top-notch. We can go ice-skating in Central Park."

"I know all of that," she said. "While I am prepared to leave my family, I know that the one thing that is making me wary of the move is that I won't have a job, Owen. What will I do?"

"Well, I have already spoken to the head of HR and he told me that as soon as something suitable comes up at headquarters, you can apply for it," he said. "Tony is a good guy and he would let me know."

"You have?" she said, sounding a little happier. "That is good of you."

"I would do as much as I can to make you happy," he said.

"So why don't you move to San Francisco?" she said. "That would make me happy."

"I would love to move to San Francisco with you. But I have the same problem as you. I won't have a job and economically, it makes more sense for me to keep my job. I am pretty well established in the company and I do make three times what you do," he said. "If it made economic sense, I would not mind moving to San Francisco." She sighed because she knew he was right.

He continued, "I know it is going to be hard for you in the beginning without a job. But maybe, you can take some time off, get to know the city and get to know my mom better. She and Juju would love to take you around the city. And we are going to look really hard for you to get a great job."

She looked sad but she had already known it would make sense for her to move to New York but she needed to have it articulated to her. He took her in his arms. "It is going to be okay, baby. We will be able to do it."

* * *

They had a blissful week in Bora Bora. They spent it swimming, sailing, dining, relaxing and making love. Then, it was back to real life. Owen left Cristina in San Francisco, so she could tie up her affairs, while he went to New York. She and Janet handed in their resignations the same day to their boss, Mr. Morrison.

"Ah, young ladies, I believe congratulations are in order," Mr. Morrison said.

"Thank you, sir," Cristina and Janet said in unison, as they handed him their letters.

"Hmm, I guess this means that you are both leaving us here," he said. They nodded. "I am moving to Vegas to help my husband open a nightclub," Janet said.

"And you, Cristina?" Morrison asked.

"As you probably know, I married Owen Hunt and well, I don't have a job waiting for me at Woolmers in New York, or any job for the matter," Cristina said, a little sadly.

"Ah, well. I am sure something will open up for you in New York," Morrison said. "Thank you for your two weeks' notice, ladies. Enough time for you to wrap your personal affairs and hand over your projects to other managers. Good luck to the two of you."

"Thank you, sir," they said, as they left his office.

* * *

The next two weeks were a blur for Cristina as she tried to finish up as much as she could before handing over her projects to other people. The realtor she had hired to find a tenant for her home was quite successful. They had several prospective tenants come through the place and each of them expressed how beautiful the house was. In the end, she chose a couple with three children. They were both lawyers and loved the Pacific Heights area. They were going to pay Cristina a hefty sum for living in the house.

The office threw Cristina and Janet a farewell party. While everyone were eating and drinking in the conference room, Cristina found herself in her office, packing away her belongings in a box. When she was through, she sat down on her chair for the last time. She looked around and started to cry, as she remembered all of the good times in her office.

"Hey, hey," Janet said, from the doorway. "I notice you were missing and I came to look for you. Now, I find you here crying. What's the matter?" She came and gave her friend a hug.

"Oh, I am just going to miss this little office," Cristina said. "I spent the last three years of my life here. This was my first job. You don't seem as sad as me, Janet."

"I am not," Janet said. "I am ready to move on. I have been here for seven years. That is more than twice the length of time that you have been here. I am so ready for my new life, for my new husband, for my new city. It is going to be exciting, Cristina, and you should be excited, too. So perk up. You have a wonderful husband and are moving to the most exciting city in the country."

"Yeah, I do have the best husband," Cristina said. "I love him very much and he loves me, too."

"That-a- girl," Janet said. "So, come on, dry those tears and let's have a great time at our farewell party." She took her friend's hand and together, they walked to the conference room.

* * *

Two days later found Cristina and her two suitcases on an airplane headed to New York City. She was renting the house, fully furnished, so she didn't have to worry about any of the furniture. She shipped most of her personal belongings to Owen's apartment. Only her clothes were left, which she stuffed into two suitcases. Whatever couldn't fit was donated to Goodwill.

Owen was there to meet her at the airport. She ran into his arms and he swung her around, before they kissed. "These two weeks without you have been terrible," he said. "I was moping around the apartment. My parents said I was like a sad sack. I was counting the days, then the hours, then the minutes, then the seconds until you got here. I am the happiest man in the world, right now."

"I am really, really glad to see you," she said, reveling about being in his arms, once again.

"Are you hungry? Do you want to grab something to eat?" he asked.

"No, I just want to go home," she said. He smiled when she said "home." His apartment was now her home. It was no longer his place but their place. "Great," he said. "I am pretty sure that Mom has food anyway, at her apartment. They want us to pass by as soon as we get home. "

He drove her to their apartment building, dropped off her suitcases in their apartment and then made their way to the penthouse. He opened the door. "Mom told me to just come inside, when we get here." The penthouse was in darkness. "What the hell? Mom? Dad?" Owen said. "Where is everyone?" Suddenly, the light came on and the entire Hunt contingent jumped up from behind the furniture, yelling, "Surprise." Cristina screamed because the suddenness scared her.

"Oh, sorry, Cristina," Robin said. "We wanted to have a surprise welcome party for you. We have been waiting for you guys." She kissed her daughter in law on the cheek.

"It's okay," Cristina said. "Thank you." Everybody came up and gave Cristina a kiss and a hug. Cristina looked around the apartment. There was a huge banner hung up across the top of the fireplace which read, "Welcome home, Cristina." She realized that the Hunts were not alone but there were lots of people she did not know at the party.

"Who are these people?" she asked Owen. He replied, "Some are our neighbors, some friends and some Hunts from dad's side and some Wentworths from mom's side. Let my parents show you off." Robin and Ollie took great pride in showing off their newest family member. Over and over again, people kept asking Cristina when she and Owen planned to have a baby. Cristina was a little overwhelmed by that question since she and Owen were only married for two weeks. "We haven't really thought about it, as yet," she answered, truthfully. Despite that nagging question, it turned out to be a very pleasant gathering for Cristina as she got to meet many of the people whom the Hunts considered friends and family.

Later that night, after making love, she lay in his arms, with her head resting on his chest. "Owen, people kept asking me the baby question."

"Ah, yes, the baby question. I have been asked that for years. People kept asking me when I was going to find a nice girl, settle down and have kids. Now that I have found the nice girl and have settled down, they are going to pressure me on the baby question, too. But don't worry about it," he said. "When we are ready for it, we will have our babies. Nobody is rushing you."

"Okay, thanks. I thought I was expected to start popping out babies, like immediately," she said. He laughed. "If only it was that easy. Tell you what, Cristina, when we are ready, we are going to have a very good time, trying. I am going to enjoy that," he said, as he kissed her on her head.

* * *

The next day, when Owen went to work, Cristina unpacked her suitcases, as well as her personal belongings and placed them in the apartment. As a final touch, she put up their wedding picture on the fireplace mantel. She stepped back. It looked good, there. She was lost in her thoughts, when the doorbell rang. It was Robin.

"Hello, Cristina. I was wondering whether you would want to come to have lunch with my ladies' group. I told them all about you and they were excited to meet you. We meet every week and have lunch, together. Just our way to keep in touch with each other," Robin said.

Cristina had nothing to do so she agreed. "Sure," she said. "How do I dress?"

"Just a nice dress. Why don't you get changed and I will wait for you?" Robin said, as she stepped inside of the apartment. Cristina disappeared into her bedroom, while Robin examined all of the new things that Cristina had added to Owen's apartment. Cristina returned in a navy blue shirtdress, which Robin approved, before they left the apartment. They met up with up with the six other ladies, who made up Robin's ladies group. They were all wealthy, older women, who had never worked a day in their lives. Cristina didn't have much in common with them. But even as she enjoyed their company, she wondered if she was going to end up like this.

After thanking Robin for taking her out to lunch, Cristina went back to her apartment and lay on the floor of the living room, wondering if this was her life, from now on. She didn't want to be a lady who lunches. She wasn't content to be just Mrs. Owen Hunt. She wasn't about to lose her own identity, even if she was happily married. She needed to find a job and she needed one, now.

She took out her laptop and began the search.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments and reviews. Thank you for leaving your thoughts.**


	25. Chapter 25 A new job

When Owen got to work that morning, the first thing he did was call Tony, the head of HR at Woolmers.

"Hi, Tony, it is Owen Hunt," he said, when Tony answered the phone.

"I hear congratulations are in order. I heard that you recently got married," Tony said. "Wasn't it rather sudden? I didn't hear about it until my administrative assistant told me about it. I was in shock for a bit."

"Yes, it was a surprise for my wife, too. She didn't know she was getting married until the day of the wedding," Owen said, with a chuckle. "Good thing she said yes or the surprise would have been on me."

"I heard your wife is the young Ms. Yang from our San Francisco office," Tony said. "I should have seen the signs, when you asked about her, when she came to the young managers' program. You've never shown interest in the program, except for the time that you were in it."

"Guilty as charged," Owen admitted. "But it is exactly what I would like to talk to you about. My wife had to give up her job at the San Francisco office, since she moved to New York with me. So, remember the little chat we had last December about any vacancies that are opening up here that you would let me know about it."

"Yes, I do recall that. Now I know why you were so interested in finding out about it," Tony said. "I must say that we do have someone retiring soon and it is a managerial position in marketing. The person won't be retiring for another three months but I can send you over the details of the position."

"Thank you, Tony. I would appreciate that. My wife is not the stay-at-home type," Owen said. "Looking forward to receiving it."

"Okay," Tony said. "Just emailed it to you." Owen thanked him once again and then hung up the phone. He was busy reading the details of the position, when his phone rang. It was his mom.

"Hi, mom," he said. "What's up?"

"Owen, I wanted to take Cristina out with me when I go to lunch with the ladies," Robin said. "Do you think that she would like that?"

"Sure," Owen said, grinning to himself. He knew Cristina would be too polite to say no to his mother. He had a vision of her, having lunch with a group of older ladies. He chuckled at the thought. He figured she would be bored stiff.

"Well, okay, then," Robin said. "I will take her to lunch with me."

Owen didn't hear from Cristina for the day. He wondered what she was doing. It was only when he got home later that day, did he know why. He found her on her laptop, feverishly searching vacancies in the Manhattan area.

When she saw him come through the door, she shrieked, "Oh my God. What time is it? I haven't even started dinner. Sorry about that, Owen."

"It's okay. We can order delivery. What are you doing?" he asked, coming behind and giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Looking for a job," she said. "I saw my future, today and it was not looking good. I desperately need to get a job."

"Ah," Owen laughed. "Your lunch date with mom's ladies' group. That must have gone well. Mom called me and asked me about taking you to the luncheon. The old biddies had you terrified?"

"No, no, it wasn't that. They were all pleasant enough. They are very nice ladies but I saw how easily I could become one of them, if I don't get back out there and get a job," she said. "Those ladies have never known what it is like to hold a job. They were all born wealthy and married wealthy."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Owen said. "My mom is one of them, even though dad wasn't wealthy when she met him. So any luck as yet?"

"I submitted my resumes to six companies, so far, and I am still looking," she said, stretching out her arms in the air.

"Oh, by the way, I spoke to Tony and he says there may be a managerial opening at Woolmers in the marketing division. Person is retiring in three months," Owen said. "Maybe that could be a possibility. I wish I could create a position for you in my division but since we are married, you can't work with me or they will scream nepotism."

"Three months?" Cristina said. "I cannot wait that long. I will become a vegetable by that time, if I keep attending luncheons with the ladies. They already invited me to join their book club, which meets every Thursday night at 4 p.m. We will be having tea and scones, they tell me." Owen laughed, loudly, as he immediately had a vision of Cristina, sipping tea with the ladies, and discussing the latest potboiler from some romance novelist.

"Okay," he said, as he took out his own laptop. "I am going to help you. Two heads and two computers working at the same are better than one." She gave him a huge kiss on the lips. "Now, this is why I love you, Owen Hunt."

* * *

Cristina sat nervously in the waiting room with all of the rest of the other applicants for the job. She looked around; they were all like her. Young, dressed in neat, tailored dark suits, each was reading their notes, intently. This was the third interview she was on. She felt she had bombed on her first interview because she had been so anxious. Her second interview went a little bit better. She thought that she did well but they went with someone who was older and had more experience.

"Miss Yang?" the receptionist called out her name. She got up, straightened her skirt and went into the interview room. She was very surprised to see three people in their late 20's/early 30's, who were the interviewers. They were all casually dressed. She felt like she was totally over-dressed for the interview. In the middle was a young man with red hair and freckles. To his left was a blonde woman with a pixie haircut and to the redhead's right was a Latino guy with an amazing tan and the most dazzling white teeth she had ever seen.

"Good morning," she said, as she shook their hands, before she sat down.

"Cristina," the red-head said. "I am Dallas Thorne and I am the CEO of this company. With me are Victoria Gaspard and Jaime Delgado. I guess you can tell which is which," he said. Everyone laughed, except Cristina. She wasn't sure whether she should laugh or not.

"Loosen up, Cristina, maybe that suit you are wearing is making you a little uptight," Dallas said. Cristina looked down at her suit. It was a navy Armani suit that Owen had bought for her to go to interviews. It had been tailored to fit her perfectly. "It is Armani."

"Armani, you say?" Victoria said. "I am not sure that we can offer a salary that can keep you in Armani suits. And judging from your address, it seems that you really don't have to work, do you? Park Avenue."

"I want to work," Cristina said, deciding to be honest. "I need to work. I gave up my job in San Francisco when I got married and I cannot stay at home, anymore. As you can see from my resume, I have three years' experience at Woolmers and I have worked in marketing, operations, finance and human resources at the company. I think I can be a true asset at your company."

"Woolmers," Jaime said. "Now that's a Fortune 500 company and we are a start up. We can't meet the salary that you probably had there but we can offer you a lot of learning, from the ground up. And we can use someone like you with all that experience in all of those different areas. We are staffing in all areas of the company and I am sure we can come up with something for you."

"Thank you," Cristina said.

"This is what we can offer you," Dallas said, handing her a piece of paper. "Now, it doesn't look like much, now but we are going to offer you stock options. We will offer health benefits, vacation, pension and other allowances." Cristina looked at the salary. It certainly was lower than what she was expecting but she realized it wasn't really the salary that was the pull of this job. It was the chance to do something new and exciting, outside of established corporate life. Besides, she liked the vibe and youthfulness of the company. It wasn't really like she needed the money, anyway, because with Owen's trust fund and his income, he could easily take care of her.

"That's fine, for now," she said. "Hopefully, I can expect raises in the future." Dallas nodded.

"Good," Victoria said. "Great, Cristina. You will definitely hear from us. By the way, you wouldn't need Armani suits, most days, except when we are meeting with clients. We love casual clothes, here."

"I do, too," Cristina said. She shook their hands and walked out of there, feeling really good about herself.

"My, she is a cutie. I wouldn't mind taking her for a tour of my bedroom. Did you see that awesome hair? Just made for running your fingers through it," Dallas said.

"Now, now, now, Dallas. That is not being very professional," Victoria replied. "She is a married woman. Probably married to some rich, old, bald Wall Street fat cat, who is at least 20 years older than her." They all laughed. Little did they know that they were wrong about Cristina's husband.

"Then, if that is an accurate description of her husband, it might be even easier to take her for a tour of my bedroom," Dallas said. "Let's see the next person."

* * *

Two days later, Cristina received a call that she had a job. She called Owen, immediately and told him she had a job. Owen asked her the name of the company. When she told him it was DVJ Associates, he said he had never heard of it. She replied that it was a start-up and she was going to get stock options. When he heard that, he was a little unsure.

"Cristina, are you sure about this? You can still wait it out for the job at Woolmers in the marketing division," Owen said. "I have no problems with you staying at home, until then."

"I am the one with the problem, Owen. I want to go back to work," she said. "At least, I am going to try. Maybe, it will work out. Maybe, it won't. If it doesn't, I can still apply for the job at Woolmers."

"Okay, Cristina. Congratulations," he said. "I will take you out to celebrate, this evening."

* * *

Cristina started work the next week. She was personally shown her work-space by Dallas. "If you need anything," he said. "Just let me know." Cristina felt that he was a little too close to her and invading her personal space. It made her feel uncomfortable but she brushed it off because she didn't want to make waves on her first day of work. Maybe she was just imagining things, she thought.

She called Owen and told him about her new cubicle. She didn't tell him about Dallas. Owen told her to have a great day. As the weeks progressed, she found herself enjoying the work but still got an uncomfortable feeling around Dallas. She didn't know why. He never said anything untoward to her. She just felt a little leery around him. She never told Owen about it because she really could be seeing or feeling things that just weren't true. She chalked it up to an over-active imagination.

That is, until the night, she was at her desk, late at night, working on a project she needed to finish to meet a deadline. Dallas came up to her and asked what she was doing at the office, so late.

"Working on this project that Victoria gave me," she said. "We are meeting clients tomorrow afternoon. So I need to get this to Victoria in the morning." She wrote one more sentence. "There we go, and it is done."

"That's good. You are such a conscientious worker, Cristina. I like that about you," he said.

"Thank you, Dallas," she said, as she stood up to pack away her things, before leaving for the night. Owen was coming to pick her up. He had already called to say that he was on his way.

"So, Cristina, do you want to go out for a drink?" Dallas asked. She looked at him, a little suspiciously. "No," she said. "My husband is coming for me." Dallas immediately had a vision of the man that Victoria had conjured up to be Cristina's husband – the fat, bald, old Wall Street guy.

"Oh, come on," he said. "I am sure that your old husband can't make you feel like this." He pushed her chin up and kissed her. Cristina was in too much of a shock to resist, that is, until she heard Owen's angry voice.

"What the hell is going on here?" Owen yelled from across the room.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments and reviews. I do appreciate reading them. It also helps in the thinking process.**


	26. Chapter 26 Changes

"Who the hell are you?" Dallas yelled at Owen, who was charging down the entire length of the room.

"Who am I?" Owen yelled back, as he pushed Dallas away from Cristina. "I am her husband, that's who I am. Get away from her." Dallas took a swing at Owen but missed, as Owen was anticipating the blow and ducked. Owen then decked Dallas in the chin and he went down. As he hit the floor, Dallas knew that his expectations about what Cristina's husband looked like, were all wrong. He never expected this big, strapping, blonde man to be her husband. His face was smarting and he rubbed his chin but he wisely stayed on the ground.

"Cristina, pack up your stuff and let us go," Owen told his wife. He needed to get out of there before his head exploded. Cristina quickly did as she was told. She looked back at Dallas on the floor and knew in that instant that she no longer had a job at the company. Not only because of what Owen had just done but also because Owen would no longer want her to work there, anymore.

When they got into the car, Owen's silence was killing Cristina. She wanted him to say something. As they drove along, she finally spoke. "It was not my fault," she said.

"Cristina, can you give me a moment here?" he said, trying to control his voice but she could still feel the anger in his voice. "I need to calm down before I say things I am possibly going to regret. Let us get back to the apartment before we talk. I just need this time." She knew to shut up. She looked at his hand – the knuckles were bruised from when he had hit Dallas. He was so steamed at the moment that he didn't care that his hand was hurting.

When they got to the apartment, Cristina prepared an ice pack and brought it to him, so he could place it on his bruised hand. "Thank you," he said, grateful for the gesture.

"Are you ready to listen now?" she asked. He nodded. He had calmed down enough to listen.

"As I started to tell you in the car, it really wasn't my fault. He surprised me with the kiss," she said. Owen winced not from the pain emanating from his hand but because of the image of Dallas kissing Cristina flashed across his brain.

"Don't remind me of that. Do you know how that makes me feel? To see your new wife being kissed by another man," he said. "I hope I left a mark on that guy that he won't forget it."

"I should have seen it coming, though," Cristina said. "Maybe it is my fault in a way."

"What do you mean?" Owen asked. "How could it be your fault? Did you encourage him?"

"I have been having these weird vibes, whenever he was around me. He came to my cubicle often and I got these strange feelings all of the time. I felt that he used to be a little too close to me and was invading my personal space. I never said anything because I used to think it was my imagination. After all, he is the CEO of the company. Tonight, I was finishing up an assignment I was doing for Victoria. We were meeting clients tomorrow afternoon and I needed to get it done tonight, so she would have it in the morning. He came to my desk, complimented me by telling me that I was a conscientious worker. Then he asked me to go out for a drink," Cristina said, looking into Owen's eyes. She needed him to believe that everything she was saying was true.

"The nerve of that guy!" Owen said, slamming down his fist on the table. "Ooh." He had hurt his hand, again.

"Let me finish, Owen. I told him no and that my husband was coming for me. He pushed up my face and said that my old husband wouldn't be able to make me feel like this. Then he kissed me. I was in a state of shock and that is why I didn't resist," she said. "And that is the truth."

"What did he call me? Old? Now I get it. He thought you were married to an older man and that you wouldn't be getting in the bedroom what he could give you. The nerve of that guy!" Owen said. "I guess I was a surprise to him. But, Cristina, you should have told me about the weird feelings that you were getting. In most instances, you should trust your instincts. They will never lead you wrong."

"I guess you were a surprise to him. And yes, I should have trusted my feelings," Cristina said. "You know I really like the way you charged in there and saved me from his unsavory lips."

"You are my wife," he said. "I will save you anywhere. But truthfully, baby, in that moment, I was more angry and more jealous than I have ever been in my entire life. I just saw red and I could have pounded that guy into the ground. Good thing he stayed down."

"Thank you for being my big, strong hero," she said, as she kissed his bruised hand.

"Always, Cristina, always," he said. She sighed. "Now I have to look for another job. With you decking the CEO, I doubt I could go back there." Owen shook his head. "I am sorry about that, Cristina, but there are far better jobs out there. I don't think I want you working anywhere near a predatory guy like that. He was trying to take advantage of you."

"Yeah, I know," she said. He pulled her into his lap and she rested her head against his shoulder. "Back to the drawing board for me," she said. She sounded a little woeful as she said it. He put his arm around her.

* * *

A week later, she got a call from the company to come and pick up her final paycheck. The day after the incident, she had sent in a resignation letter, indicating that she was probably not welcomed at the company after what had transpired. She felt embarrassed when she went in because everyone was looking at her and whispering. She hoped that she would not see Dallas when she went in. She went to Victoria's office and knocked on her door, before entering.

"Oh, Cristina, hello, good to see you," Victoria said. "I have your paycheck right here." She handed Cristina an envelope.

"Thank you," Cristina said. She turned to go.

"Wait," Victoria said. "I want to apologize to you about what happened. I am very sorry. Dallas is a total idiot."

"Yeah but he is the CEO of the company and in the scheme of things, I knew which one of us had to go," Cristina said.

"You were really good, Cristina. I just wanted to tell you that if you need a recommendation, I will give you one, any day," Victoria said.

"Thanks, Victoria. I really enjoyed it here. Thanks," she said. On her way out, she saw Dallas, sitting in his office. He was still sporting a bruise on his face. She had to chuckle. She had the satisfaction of telling Owen that he did leave a mark on Dallas. She went through the exit door and never looked back.

* * *

She started the search in earnest, once again. Owen told her that the position at Woolmers had opened up and he had sent in her resume for her. Tony had called her in for an interview. She thought that she did well, especially with her previous experience with the company. They told her that she would hear from them. She had a good feeling about it.

As she waited, her days still needed to be filled. So when Juju asked if she would like to come with her to a session she was doing educating young girls about the use of condoms at a community center in the Bronx, she readily agreed.

As they drove to the Bronx, Juju explained what they were doing. "As you know, I work for this charity, where we help underprivileged children. We recognize that there is a cycle of poverty when young girls get pregnant in their teens and find themselves unable to take care of their babies. We know that they are going to have sex so we teach them to use condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of STDs and HIV. But if it is too late and they are already pregnant, we direct them to where they can get help and be aware of all of their options. We give out information and if they ask, we also provide condoms and pregnancy kits."

"That is awesome work, Juju," Cristina said. "I am thrilled to go."

"I am glad you are coming, Cristina. My co-worker, who was supposed to come with me, came down with the flu," Juju said.

"It's no problem, Juju. I am happy to help," Cristina said. Juju smiled at her. Maybe having Cristina along would be a blessing, since she was closer in age to the girls and they might better relate to her.

When they got to the community center, there were about 50 girls from 13 to 17 years, waiting for the session. Juju introduced herself and Cristina. She was a lively speaker and the girls were riveted. Juju demonstrated the use of the condom and told the girls that if they used it correctly, they could avoid getting pregnant or catching an STD. Though there was some giggling, the girls did ask a lot of questions.

After the talk, many of the girls came up to Cristina and Juju to ask more questions. There were some who asked for condoms and pregnancy kits. A young girl, about 13, shyly came up to Cristina and asked for a pregnancy test. Cristina was a little shocked at the girl's age but she hoped it didn't show on her face. "Do you know how to use it?" she asked the young girl.

"No," the girl said, shaking her head. "What's your name?" Cristina asked. "Sabrina," she answered.

"Well, Sabrina, it is really easy to use," Cristina said. "All you have to do is go to the bathroom and pee on the stick."

"How do you read it?" Sabrina asked. "Well, this particular one shows a negative or a positive sign. Negative means you are not pregnant, while positive means you are," Cristina answered. Cristina greatly hoped that this child was not pregnant.

"Can you show me? I want to be sure," Sabrina said.

Cristina told Juju she was going to the bathroom and grabbed two pregnancy kits. Cristina had never used a pregnancy test in her life. So she decided to try it out, too. They washed their hands before they went into their respective stalls. She ripped open her box and started reading out the instructions to Sabrina, while she tried it on herself.

"Blah, blah, blah…mid stream urine, Sabrina. That means you let a little bit out and then stick the absorbent side of the stick under the stream," Cristina said. When she was done, Cristina stuck her test back into the box and put it in her handbag. They both exited their stalls. "So now we wait, Sabrina."

Five minutes later, a definite negative sign came up on the window of Sabrina's test. "Well, it looks like you are not pregnant," Cristina said. Sabrina started jumping up and down.

"Now, before we get too excited, I am going to do is give you another pregnancy test and you can try it two weeks from now. So you can be sure," Cristina advised her. "If that one is positive, you can call us and we will let you know where you can go. Hopefully, it will be negative but Sabrina, you have to start taking precautions to avoid becoming pregnant." Sabrina nodded.

When they went home in the evening, Juju thanked Cristina for coming with her. "I should thank you, Juju. That was an amazing time. I really liked it. If you need any help anytime, I will be willing to volunteer my time."

"Good," Juju said. "Glad that I can rope you in to help."

* * *

When she got back to her apartment, Cristina dropped her handbag on the foyer side table. She ordered food from the Thai place, as Owen was getting home, soon.

She decided to take a long, relaxing bath, while she waited for the delivery. Owen came home and he noticed her handbag on the foyer table. "Cristina?" he called out. He had awesome news for her. He had gotten a call from Tony, earlier in the day and he had told him that Cristina had got the job.

"In the bath," she said. Just then, he got a call from the doorman that their Thai delivery had arrived. He realized he had forgotten his wallet in the car. He dug into her purse to find her wallet, only to discover the pregnancy kit. He pulled it out. Why did she have this? He tucked it into his pocket.

He quickly went downstairs, collected the food and paid the delivery guy. On returning to the apartment, he rested the food on the table, then pulled out the box from his pocket and took a look at the stick. "Hmmm," he thought to himself. He went into the bedroom, where Cristina was drying her hair with her towel.

"Hey, did you get the food?" she asked. "Yes," he answered. "By the way, I have some great news for you."

She looked up. "What?"

"You got the job. I heard from Tony, today," he said. Cristina's face broke out into a huge smile. She came towards him and gave him a hug.

"Is there anything you would like to tell me?" he asked, kissing her on the top of her head.

"Not really," she said. "I went with Juju to the Bronx and we had a great day talking to some teenage girls about protecting themselves, if they are being sexually active. I also instructed a 13-year-old on how to use a pregnancy kit. Thankfully, she wasn't pregnant. Imagine being pregnant at that age. All in all, it was a good day."

"Oh," he said. "Is that all that happened?"

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" she asked, puzzled. He handed her the pregnancy stick. "Then can you explain this?"

"That's just a test I tried, when I was instructing the girl," Cristina said. "No biggie."

"Look at the window, Cristina," he said. She stared at the window and her mouth dropped open. There was a clear positive sign. She looked at her husband and said, disbelievingly, "We're pregnant?"

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments and reviews. Thanks for your thoughts.**


	27. Chapter 27 A new family member

**A/N: Final chapter**

* * *

Cristina was now 38 weeks pregnant. In two weeks, she was going to have this baby. She was currently at home, since the doctor had advised bed rest for the last four weeks of the pregnancy. She was heavily pregnant. Owen was sometimes afraid that she would topple over because of her small body size, carrying around this watermelon-sized belly in front of her.

Today was the day for her baby shower, hosted by Robin and Juju in the penthouse. Cristina gave Owen a kiss and told them she was headed up to the baby shower. He told her to have a good time. As she headed up to the penthouse, she remembered that day when Owen handed her the pregnancy stick, which showed she was pregnant. They both jumped up and down. They couldn't really believe it. Then, she made an appointment at the ob/gyn, where they found out that she was already eight weeks along. Their baby, they were told, would be born in mid December, if she took it to the full 40 weeks.

She really hoped that this baby would come soon. She was so tired and exhausted. At the recent Hunt Thanksgiving luncheon, she fell asleep at the table, while everybody was talking. Owen had to carry her to his parents' bedroom for a nap. It was so embarrassing. She hoped she wouldn't fall asleep at her own baby shower. She and Owen had chosen not to find out about the baby's gender. They figured they would let it be a surprise. It didn't really matter, anyway, they just wanted a healthy baby. Whatever they got was going to be fine.

She knocked on the door, which had balloons on either side in gender-neutral colors of yellow and white. Her mother in law answered. "Hello, Cristina," Robin said, kissing Cristina on both cheeks. "You are going to have a great time. I know you can't move around too much so I set up a special chair for you."

"Hi, Robin. Thank you for holding this for me," Cristina said. "And it is right in the middle of the holiday season, too. You must have so much other things to do."

"Nothing as important as this, Cristina," Robin said, lightly touching Cristina's stomach. "This is my grandchild here and Owen's first. Thanksgiving and Christmas pale in comparison. You, Owen and this baby have made this old lady very happy." She led Cristina into the living room, where a variety of women were gathered. Many of them were their neighbors from the building, while some of them were from Woolmers. But when she saw her mom, Helen, her sister, Carolina and Janet there that she started to cry. She didn't expect to see any of them, there. The three of them came and hugged her.

"I didn't think you guys would come," Cristina said.

"We wouldn't miss this," Helen said. Then, Cristina felt a familiar tug on her dress. She looked down to see five year old Vivian. "Vivian, you are here, too." The little girl smiled because she loved her Aunty Cristina.

"When she heard we were going to come see you," Carolina said. "She insisted that she had to come, since she hadn't seen you since the wedding in Vegas."

"How are you doing, Vivi?" Cristina asked her niece. "Good, Aunty Cristina," she said. "Can I feel your belly?" Cristina nodded. Vivian rubbed Cristina's belly and started talking to it. "Hello, baby. I am your cousin, Vivian. I hope you are a girl like me. Too many boys in the family." Cristina had to grin.

Robin led Cristina to a comfortable chair, with Vivian following behind. She squeezed in next to her aunt on the chair. Usually, if they sat together, there would be more than enough room to spare but in Cristina's highly pregnant state, it was a tighter fit. She would have been more comfortable if Vivian wasn't there but she knew the little girl wanted to be with her, so she adjusted so that Vivian could sit.

Then, all of the games started. Juju was plying Cristina with lots of snacks and beverages. Everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun. Vivian clapped her hands at all of the games. Cristina was starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable and had this pressing feeling like she needed to go to the bathroom. It was on her way to the bathroom that she felt the gush of liquid running down her leg. She looked around and caught the eye of Janet, who recognized her panicked expression. Janet rushed across to her. "What's the matter, honey?" Janet asked.

"My water just broke. I think I need to go to the hospital," Cristina said. Janet led her to a chair. "What do we do? What do we do?" Janet repeated over and over again.

"Janet, stop panicking. Owen is downstairs in our apartment. I have a bag ready. Just call him and tell him the baby is coming," she said. "He will know what to do." Robin noticed Cristina and Janet's frantic conversation. "What's happening?" Robin asked. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Um, Robin, the baby is coming. That's all," Cristina replied. "My water broke."

"Oh, my. Oh, my," Robin said. "You have to get to the hospital."

"I know," Cristina said. "Janet is calling Owen, now." She gestured to her friend who was on the phone.

Carolina, Juju and Helen all came up, wondering what was happening. "She's going to have the baby," The three ladies gasped. "You have to get to the hospital," Juju said.

"I know," Cristina said, in exasperation. She just wanted Owen to get there and for everyone else to stop hovering over her. The front door opened and Owen rushed through. "Let's go," he said. "We're going straight to the hospital. I already have your bag." He helped Cristina up. "Owen, we will see you in the hospital, a little bit later. We're just going clean up here. I don't think Cristina will be ready for a couple of hours. So we have some time," Robin said.

"Okay, mom," Owen said, a little absentmindedly. He really wasn't listening to what she was saying because right now, his top priority was getting Cristina to the hospital.

* * *

As he drove, he could see that Cristina was in some pain as the contractions had started in earnest. "We are going to get there, babe." When he got to the hospital, he got to the orderly to take her to a room, while he handled all of the paperwork. When he got to her room, she was already comfortably ensconced in the bed and was being checked by her ob/gyn, Dr. Rivers.

"Everything seems to be doing well," Dr. Rivers said. "You have quite a way to go, so we are just going to keep you comfortable, until the time comes. Hello, Owen. How are you holding up?"

"A little anxious, Dr. Rivers. My first kid," Owen said. "Who wouldn't be?" He took a seat in the room.

"Hey," Cristina said. "Depending on how this goes, this could be your first and last child, Owen Hunt. Getting some gripping pains here." Owen sincerely hoped that it wasn't his last child. He always fancied himself as having three children. He could just see it. There was a 10-year age difference between Owen and his older brother, Oliver, and because of that, it seemed like they grew up as if each of them was an only child. They had very little in common. When Owen was eight years old, his brother had already gone to college. He didn't want that for his kids. He wanted them to be close in age and be companions and buddies with one another. He could already see it – his family going for road trips with him and Cristina in the front seat and their three kids in the back seat. He got up from his chair and went and stroked Cristina's hair. "Everything will be alright, Cristina," he said, in the softest of voices.

"Ha," she said. "I know your plan. You are trying to soften me up here so I will agree to have more kids."

"A guy can try," he said. She chuckled. He kissed her on her forehead.

"So, I will see you guys in about two hours to see how it is going. The nurses will be on duty and they will check on you, more often," Dr. Rivers said. "Right now, there is a woman next door, who's probably going to give birth in half an hour. So, see you." He left the Hunts by themselves in their room.

"I hope this baby comes fast," Cristina said. It was her hope that she wouldn't have to endure too much of this. Six hours later, the baby was still not there. The Hunts and the Yang women and Janet were all waiting. Each of them came in at various times, so as to not crowd the room with visitors. Vivian climbed on Cristina's bed and laid her head on her aunt's chest. "So baby cousin is coming?" she asked.

"Yes, Vivian, baby cousin is coming," Cristina confirmed. Vivian talked directly to Cristina's belly. "Remember you have to be a girl."

Cristina had been in the hospital for eight hours, when Dr. Rivers finally told her that she was ready. "Oh, hallelujah," she said. She had been having pains but it had been dulled by the wonderful intervention of drugs. "Time to push, Cristina."

Owen held on to Cristina's hand, as she pushed. The pressure she was exerting on his hand was excruciating but he refused to flinch. He knew her pain was far worse than his. When the baby finally came, Dr. Rivers said, "Congratulations, you have a beautiful baby girl."

When they heard that they had a little girl, they both laughed. "We know of one little person, who would be very happy that it is a girl." They wrapped the baby and brought her up for Cristina to see. "Look, Owen, she has dark hair like me," Cristina said.

"She is as beautiful as her mama," Owen said, as he took pictures of Cristina and her daughter. "What are we going to call her?" Cristina asked. "We had narrowed it down to three names and we thought we had two weeks again to make a final decision."

"Let's think about it a little, today and we will make a decision," Owen said. A nurse took away the baby to get checked. Owen kissed Cristina on her forehead. "You did good, baby. I am going to show the anxious folks outside their new grandchild."

He went out to the waiting room. "Here she is, baby girl Hunt." He handed his mom the phone to be passed around. One little person was very anxious to see the baby. When Vivian got the phone in her hands, she started doing a happy dance. "A baby girl, a baby girl!" she screamed in delight.

"So does baby girl Hunt have a name?" Helen asked.

"Not as yet, but we are going to make a decision, today," Owen said.

* * *

Later, when everyone had come by to see both Cristina and the baby, they all oohed and aahed, especially Vivian, who kissed her new baby cousin. When everyone left and it was just the two of them, Owen looked at her. "So can we name our baby girl now?"

"Yes," Cristina said. "So we narrowed it down to three names but I thought we could go in a different direction."

"Okay, tell me what you are thinking?" he asked. She replied, "Well, I was thinking that we could call her Olivia, after your dad. Your brother did not name his son Oliver, so I was think we could have a third generation carrying the name."

"Really?" Owen said, happily. "My dad will love that. But what about your parents, won't they feel a little left out by that?"

"I am going to give her a Korean middle name. I was thinking of Ji-Su," Cristina said. "They will like that."

"Okay," Owen said. "Agreed. Her name is Olivia Ji-Su Hunt. And she is a beauty, just like her mom." Cristina stared at her sleeping baby and stroked her cheek. "She is really lovely," she said. She looked up at her husband. "You know the pain was bad but when you see her afterwards, it all seems worth it. So, daddy Owen, you're probably going to get lucky and get a second one in a year or two. Possibly even a third." Owen's face lit up when he heard the promise of other children.

"Go around," he said. He wanted to lie next to them. "I want to be with my family." She shifted and allowed him space on the bed. As he gazed upon the woman he loved and the baby that they created, he thought back about their first meeting in Vegas. Who could have ever predicted that this would have been the outcome of what was supposed to be a one-night stand? In this case, what happened in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas.

_**THE END**_

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**A/N Please leave your final reviews for this story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it. Thank you for taking this journey with me.**


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